Diamond No Ace: Life As Sawamura Eijun

Chapter 357: Strategies for the Teito Battle

Whoosh—

Ping!

A sharp, resounding crack echoed through the stadium.

A streak of white light shot across the sky, soaring past the infield before slamming into the center-left field wall. The entire crowd gasped in astonishment.

Top of the fourth inning. Two outs.

Teito High School's third batter had just delivered his team's first hit of the game—a powerful drive straight to the outfield wall.

A double.

"Two outs, runner on second, and just a one-run gap. At this critical moment, Teito High welcomes their absolute catcher to the plate—their captain and cleanup hitter, Kengo Inui. Can Seidou High hold onto this one-run lead, or will Teito seize this chance to even the score?"

"Batting fourth, catcher—Inui Kengo."

Standing on the mound, Eijun's expression darkened.

A missed pitch.

At such a crucial moment, I actually lost control.

His intended put-away pitch—a five-seam fastball—had slipped slightly off his fingers at release, turning into an easy-to-hit fastball right down the middle. He had meant to shut down Teito's third batter and end the inning, but instead, he'd given them a scoring opportunity.

Now, the cleanup hitter was up.

This was not good news for Seidou.

"I was focusing too much on control..."

Eijun rubbed his fingertips together, murmuring under his breath before taking a deep breath. In the next instant, he shook off his frustration and refocused.

Missed pitches happen. It's part of baseball.

Even the best pitchers in the major leagues occasionally misfire, let alone a high schooler like him.

Besides, today's rainy conditions only made things harder. The damp air affected grip and pitch movement, and the strain of throwing multiple breaking balls had slightly dulled his fingertip sensitivity.

A missed pitch was just a probability issue. It could happen or not. Either way, there was no point in dwelling on it now.

What mattered was minimizing the damage and moving forward.

...

In the dugout—

Miyuki, Coach Kataoka, and Coach Ochiai watched as Eijun swiftly adjusted his mindset.

All three nodded in silent approval.

Miyuki even let out a faint smile.

"Not just his skills—his mentality has already reached the level of a true ace. Seidou's ace—Sawamura Eijun."

He thought back to the first time he had met Eijun last fall.

At that time, he had only seen him as a raw talent with potential.

But now?

In just one year, this boy had grown into Seidou's irreplaceable ace.

...

"Sawamura!"

Miyuki's firm voice snapped Eijun's focus back to home plate.

"Leave the runner to me. You just focus on the batter. Take him down, and the momentum shifts right back in our favor."

Eijun nodded solemnly.

Two outs. Runner on second. Cleanup hitter Kengo at bat.

Seidou held onto a narrow one-run lead, but Teito had the advantage at this moment.

However—

If he could strike out Teito's cleanup hitter here, the momentum would shift right back to Seidou.

This at-bat was critical.

...

"First pitch—low and away. Stretch the zone. Even if it's slightly off, no problem. Today's umpire isn't strict on low pitches."

Whoosh—

A firm stride.

A fluid arm motion.

The instant Miyuki's sign was set, Eijun executed his pitch flawlessly.

A chilling flash cut through the rain-drenched air.

The gleaming white ball hurtled toward the plate.

...

Kengo's eyes sharpened.

In the 0.5 seconds before the ball reached him, he had already analyzed its trajectory.

Boom.

His foot slammed down, kicking up a spray of muddy water.

Whoosh!

His bat whipped through the air at full force, slicing toward the incoming ball.

The fierce wind from his swing sliced through the air.

The ball and bat were about to collide—

The ball dipped low, narrowly avoiding Kengo's powerful swing before diving cleanly into Miyuki's glove with a crisp snap.

"Pop!"

"Strike!!!"

"Ohhh! A perfectly placed low outside fastball for the first pitch! Precise control—one strike!"

The commentator's excited voice heightened the intensity of the moment, fueling the already electric atmosphere in the stands.

"What a wicked pitch! Controlling the ball so precisely in this kind of weather… Sawamura-senpai truly lives up to his title as Seidou's ace. His control is nearly on par with Mukai-senpai, isn't it?" Seto remarked with admiration.

Beside him, Okumura remained silent. His hands, resting on his knees, unconsciously clenched into fists. A faint glint flickered in his eyes.

Sawamura Eijun of Seidou High School.

Mukai Taiyou of Teito High School.

Two pitchers. Two schools.

Two paths. Two different destinies.

...

"His concentration is terrifying."

Even under relentless rain, even in this tense situation, his focus remained unwavering.

Kengo's eyes sharpened, a flicker of killing intent surfacing.

"If he's giving it his all, then I must do the same. Only with everything I have can I show him the respect he deserves!"

His grip on the bat tightened.

From the mound, Eijun could feel the suffocating pressure radiating from his opponent.

...

"Good. This is the rhythm we need."

Miyuki's eyes glowed coldly.

Use the fastball to lock him down first—

Then, finish him off with a speed differential!

"So, you're fixated on fastballs, huh? Trying to force us into a mistake?"

"Fine. Then let's see who blinks first."

...

Whoosh—

Ping!

Boom!

"Foul!"

Whoosh—

Pop!

"Ball!"

Whoosh—

Ping!

Boom!

"Foul!"

...

A relentless duel of inside and outside fastballs.

Miyuki wasn't aiming to end it with just fastballs—he was using them to apply constant pressure, forcing Inui to lock onto their rhythm.

By repeatedly hammering fastballs into his memory, they were setting the perfect trap.

They didn't need a breaking ball to win.

Not when they could exploit the difference in pitch speed instead.

With the timing just right, Miyuki decisively signaled the finishing pitch.