Diamond No Ace: Life As Sawamura Eijun

Chapter 359: Teito Battle – Seidou's Advance

At the crucial moment, he chose a five-seam fastball and directly struck out Teito High's cleanup hitter. Despite having a runner on second base, Teito still couldn't equalize the score. Three outs—side retired! The Ace of Seidou, Sawamura Eijun, continued his dominance, not allowing Teito to score a single run!

"Nice pitch, Sawamura!"

"Haha! That's our Ace! That was beautifully done!"

"Eijun-kun, fight!"

"Sawamura! Sawamura! Sawamura!"

"Our Ace is so cool!"

"He shut them down! This is what it means to be Seidou's Ace!"

"Seidou! Seidou! Seidou!"

Compared to the obvious disappointment on Teito High's side, Seidou was completely ecstatic. The spectators in the stands couldn't help but watch in awe.

Shutting down the cleanup hitter head-on—and this was already his second at-bat.

So this is the golden battery of the reigning champions?

Such an aggressive approach!

Many had thought Seidou might choose to intentionally walk Kengo, but instead, the very next pitch sealed the deal.

They really are an unrelenting battery.

As the crowd watched Sawamura and Miyuki jog back to the dugout, they couldn't help but marvel.

The championship-winning duo.

Both their mentality and skills had reached another level.

"Incredible… He just missed with a breaking ball in the last at-bat, and yet he had the guts to use it again as his strikeout pitch this time? Sawamura-senpai, weren't you afraid of missing again? If that had been crushed, it could've completely turned the game around!" Seto said, his expression full of shock.

"This is what a real battery is," Okumura muttered as he looked toward Miyuki and Eijun chatting on the bench, his eyes gleaming with admiration—and maybe a hint of envy.

Having completely shut down Teito's cleanup hitter and captain, the momentum of the game swung back into Seidou's hands.

Even though the score gap was just a single run at this point, in this game, that one run felt like an insurmountable distance.

Especially after their cleanup hitter had been neutralized in two consecutive at-bats, Teito's morale had taken a visible hit.

Coach Okamoto glanced at his players.

He first nodded, then shook his head.

He nodded because his team hadn't completely crumbled.

He shook his head because Seidou's Ace, Sawamura Eijun, and his catcher, Miyuki, were proving to be even tougher than he had anticipated.

Okamoto had expected them to play it safe in this situation, maybe even walk Kengo.

But once again, they defied expectations.

They went straight for the confrontation and secured the out.

"That's what you'd expect from a championship-winning battery, huh? That mindset, that composure… it's intimidating," he admitted.

A well-established pitching rhythm could elevate the team's overall momentum.

And now, things were about to get even more difficult.

Coach Okamoto's gaze flickered to Mukai, his mind racing with concern.

"Bottom of the fourth, Seidou's offense. Batting third, pitcher, Sawamura-kun."

Just as Okamoto feared.

After a dominant top half of the inning—and with the leadoff batter being none other than Eijun—Seidou unleashed their overwhelming offensive pressure.

Whoosh!

Pop!

Eijun calmly watched the first pitch—a low outside ball—go by.

Eijun wasted no time seizing the opportunity. He locked onto the second pitch—a screwball—and drove it hard toward the right side of the infield.

His quick, compact swing left Teito's seemingly impenetrable first and second basemen with no time to react, allowing the ball to shoot past the infield.

Following up on his previous home run, Eijun secured another hit in the fourth inning—a solid single.

No outs, runner on first. Up next in the batter's box: cleanup hitter, Miyuki.

The battery that dominated on defense.

The third and fourth hitters who worked in perfect sync on offense.

At this moment in time, there was no better pitcher-catcher duo than Miyuki and Eijun.

Ping!

Riding the momentum, pressing forward.

After Eijun's single, Miyuki took two pitches to get a feel for the count before decisively swinging at an inside fastball.

As Miyuki himself put it, he loved pitchers with great control.

He thrived against them.

Boom!

The ball soared past the infield, dropping into the left-center gap.

A deep hit.

Seizing the chance, Eijun dashed past second and safely reached third.

No outs, runners on second and third.

Seidou was in a prime position to extend their lead.

"Batting fifth, first baseman, Maezonokun."

The power hitter—Maezono Kenta—stepped up to the plate with a fierce, almost do-or-die expression. His large frame made heavy strides toward the batter's box.

When it came to precision and technique, Maezono wasn't on the same level as the top hitters.

But he had a weapon of his own.

Under the early guidance of Ochiai, Maezono had begun to refine his unique hitting style, setting himself apart from his original trajectory.

From the start of the season, his ferocity was already making waves.

Whoosh!

Ping!

Thud!

"Foul ball!"

Complicated techniques? He didn't concern himself with them.

Aside from his physical advantage, Maezono's biggest strength was his ability to internalize and execute the instructions of the seniors and coaches he respected.

Don't rush your swing.

Keep your body from opening up too early.

Wait until the ball is at the closest distance—then unleash all your strength!

Whoosh!

Ping!

Simple and straightforward. That was Maezono's approach to batting.

And in his second at-bat, Lady Luck did not favor Teito High this time.

Whoosh!

He successfully pulled the ball, sending it soaring over the second and third basemen straight into left field.

Plop!

The ball landed just before the left fielder, with the shortstop and third baseman barely arriving in time.

A left-field single.

It wasn't a deep hit, but it was more than enough.

The moment the ball hit the ground, Eijun effortlessly dashed home to score.

Maezono's clutch hit.

Seidou finally extended their lead in the bottom of the fourth inning, pushing the score gap to two runs. And with no outs, runners still on first and third—

Seidou launched yet another assault on Teito.

From the dugout, Coach Okamoto's expression turned increasingly grim.