Ace of Diamond: Return of the Pitcher

3:0!

By the time the first inning wasn't even over, Seidou High School had already taken a 3-point lead over the Los Angeles Wind Youth Academy team.

These three points were like three samurai swords, viciously stabbing into the opponent's chest.

The players of the Los Angeles team were all pale-faced.

At first, their eyes showed anger, but then they gradually returned to calm.

No one could understand the mental journey of these players at this moment. But from the details they revealed, it was possible to guess a bit.

Their feelings must have been very complicated.

Today's game against Seidou's baseball team was seen by the Los Angeles team's Coach and players as their revenge match.

After all, they had lost 5-0 to the All-Tokyo, suffering a major setback.

Originally, they had thought that Seidou High School's baseball team was just a team from the Tokyo area, and while Seidou's overall strength was strong, it couldn't possibly compare to the Tokyo representative team.

Furthermore, during this period, they studied the previous game and gained some understanding of Japanese baseball.

So they firmly believed that if they put in some effort, they would have a chance to win.

It was with this confidence that they agreed to play an exchange match with Seidou's baseball team.

It was like a person, after losing a battle, feels their strength has improved through hard work, and then seeks revenge by fighting the enemy's subordinate first.

But they didn't expect that as soon as they stepped onto the field, they would be beaten to a pulp by the subordinate.

If the players of the Los Angeles team didn't feel ashamed, would be impossible.

In Seidou High School's dugout.

Kuramochi rubbed his nose, feeling something strange.

'Why was that?'

Kuramochi didn't know.

But at this moment, an inexplicable sense of danger began to rise in his heart.

He knew clearly that the players from the Los Angeles team were about to snap.

"The other side is preparing to retaliate!"

Thinking of this, Kuramochi immediately voiced his thoughts.

However, this didn't attract much attention from the Seidou baseball team.

To most of them, Kuramochi's statement seemed like a trivial point.

If you punch someone, you naturally need to be wary of them kicking you in return.

With such a huge advantage, how could the Los Angeles team just let it go?

So, their retaliation was inevitable.

However, before they could retaliate, they had a problem to solve.

That was Seidou's fifth batter, Miyuki.

Sawamura had hit a two-run home run, giving Seidou High School an unparalleled advantage.

This was naturally a happy situation for Seidou's baseball team.

But for this game, its significance wasn't as great as everyone imagined.

Firstly, it was still early in the game, and a lot of things were uncertain.

Secondly, Seidou didn't have their Ace, Sawamura, on the mound.

It was Furuya.

Although Furuya had performed excellently in recent games, the sense of stability he brought to the team still couldn't compare to Sawamura's.

In fact, it could be said that there was still quite a distance.

A three-run lead didn't allow Seidou High School to rest easy.

To completely win today's game, they needed to score more runs.

On one hand, this would suppress the opponent, and on the other, it would give Seidou's baseball team enough room to breathe.

'Sorry, but I won't hold back!'

On the pitcher's mound, Conrad, who had just given up a home run, had a ferocious expression.

Miyuki, of course, wasn't intimidated by Conrad's fierce expression, and in fact, for him, it was a good opportunity!

With the opponent losing their composure, he was confident he could hit the ball out.

'Let's go!'

So, Miyuki stood in the Batter's Box, eagerly awaiting Conrad's pitch.

Conrad didn't disappoint Miyuki. Despite his furious expression, he didn't change his pitching rhythm.

As soon as Miyuki stepped up to the plate, Conrad immediately threw the ball.

Roaar!

The ball came with great force.

But Miyuki had been mentally prepared and wasn't flustered.

Instead, he calmly swung his bat and hit the incoming baseball.

Paak!

The ball dropped into the gap in the defense.

The atmosphere, which had just settled on the field, reignited at that moment!!

After taking a three-point lead, the Seidou High School baseball team did not stop their offensive attack.

Miyuki, who had previously faced the Los Angeles team, was well aware of the strength of their opponent.

Back then, they had managed to give the Tokyo representative team a tough challenge, and even without star players like Sawamura, they had beaten the Tokyo representative team made up of other players.

The opponent in front of them right now was definitely not as weak as it appeared.

So, before they could react, the more points they could secure, the better.

With that belief in mind, and in order to support his teammate on the pitcher's mound, Miyuki acted without hesitation.

Taking advantage of the opponent's momentary lapse, he hit a clean single.

After the two-run home run just now, this once again put the Los Angeles team's players in a tough spot.

With one Outs and a runner on first base, the continuous hits were starting to make even the Los Angeles fans who came to watch the game uncomfortable.

"These players are usually so strong and hold their own in games against other teams. What's going on today?"

"Maybe it's because of that previous game against the Tokyo representative team. They probably haven't gotten over it yet, and there's some trauma left!"

The fans were joking around.

As for the Los Angeles representatives on the field, after hearing such remarks, it was easy to imagine how complicated their feelings were.

They had been holding back, wanting to give Seidou High School a good showing.

At this moment, they had completely let go!

Three Runs behind felt like a wake-up call for the entire team.

With that in mind, the players were prepared to give their all.

With that awareness, the players naturally emanated a dangerous and heroic aura.

As the sixth batter, Furuya stepped up to the plate, he clearly felt this intense energy from the opposing team.

However, he was born with a big heart and didn't let the pressure get to him.

His eyelids drooped as he looked at the Los Angeles players, especially their pitcher, Conrad.

For Furuya, his thought process had always been simple: hit the incoming baseball out of the park.

Complicated thoughts didn't suit him.

Perhaps it was this simplicity that contributed to the strength he had now.

Roaar!

Without making Furuya wait too long, the baseball came whizzing toward him.

Facing this pitch, Furuya stood firm.

He swung his bat without hesitation, simply wanting to hit the incoming baseball.

While other players might be intimidated by Conrad's power and find it difficult to make good contact, Furuya had no such concerns. He believed that as long as his bat made contact, he could send the ball flying.

With his ability to throw a 158 km/h fastball, Furuya had unparalleled confidence in his own strength.

He believed his strength could overpower any opponent, including Conrad.

Paak!

Furuya's instincts were right; he managed to connect with the first pitch.

However, it was unfortunate that the ball didn't land in the field and instead fell foul.

Standing at the plate, Furuya's expression was a bit complicated.

To be honest, this was the first time he had seen a pitch coming from that angle.

After just one encounter, he realized a harsh truth: hitting this type of pitch was much harder than he had expected.

The trajectory of this pitch was different from the ones he usually faced.

With his current hitting technique, hitting this ball out of the park and into the field was not an easy task.

He looked up in disbelief at the man on the pitcher's mound.

'I remember his name was Conrad…'

With his current batting skills, he didn't even have the qualifications to face such an opponent.

'And yet, Eijun hit a home run, and Miyuki-senpai also got a clean hit!'

What did this mean?

It meant those three players' abilities far surpassed his own.

This was the first time Furuya had this realization.

Compared to the world's top players of the same age, he was far behind.

He hadn't felt this gap as clearly while pitching, because he had unique talents in that area.

But now, in batting, where his talent wasn't as clear, Furuya was beginning to feel the difference.

And the results were exactly as he had feared.

After hitting two foul balls, Conrad threw a breaking ball for the final pitch.

By this time, Furuya had already exhausted all his energy just trying to make contact with the ball. With the sudden Slider, there was no chance for him to make a hit.

As expected, he struck out.

Following him, Maezono was also Out.

With three Outs, the sides were switched.

The Seidou High School baseball team's score stood at three.

The score was 3:0, and the teams were ready for the second inning.

The Los Angeles team's cleanup batter, who was also a famous star catcher in America, was the first to step into the Batter's Box.

R. Carlisle!

…