Diamond No Ace: The Strongest Hitter

Chapter 125: An Early End

"What a joke! Is that... a middle schooler?" The catcher muttered in disbelief, watching the ball soar into the distance.

The other fielders shielded their eyes with their hands, while the runners on base cheered wildly as they dashed back to home plate.

Meanwhile, Sendo casually tossed his bat aside, lowered his head, and jogged leisurely back to home plate, his emotions unruffled.

To him, failing to hit such a pitch would have been the real issue. It was an outside fastball, right in the strike zone.

The catcher, assuming Sendo was nervous, had decided to use a fastball to secure a strike. However, the result was a devastating hit!

"I see now! So that's why this team focuses so much on loading the bases before their cleanup hitter comes up!" Coach Daimon remarked with interest. "Even the runners seem completely confident in this batter's ability—enough to push their limits to such an extent!"

The score was now 4-0, a considerable lead, especially against a pitcher with such tricky, unconventional throws.

Coach Daimon was curious to see how his players would respond to the pressure.

Clap!

By this time, Sendo had finally completed his leisurely trot around the bases and returned to home plate.

"Nice hit, Sen-chan!"

"That was incredible!"

With an unchanged expression, Sendo high-fived his teammates one by one.

"Don't forget, one month!" he reminded Sawamura when he reached him.

"Geez, I won't go back on my word. Relax!" Sawamura replied with a grin.

...

"Ha! Watch me hit a big one too—a home run!" After a brief silence, an overly confident Sawamura suddenly strutted toward the batter's box, exuding an air of defiance.

"There's no way I'll let you waste an out in such a favorable situation," Sendo thought to himself, displeased.

However, Sawamura moved too quickly, leaving Sendo no choice but to signal him discreetly.

"What the... Are you afraid I'll steal your spotlight?" Sawamura grumbled internally but ultimately obeyed the signal, though he mentally criticized Sendo's unfairness.

"Time to refocus!" The catcher, now composed, encouraged his pitcher.

"Exactly! There's no way there could be two monsters like that in their lineup. Just focus on shutting down the next batter!"

However, while their resolve was strong, Sawamura executed a surprise bunt, catching the defense completely off guard.

"Safe!"

The umpire's call confirmed Sawamura's success in reaching base with his clever play.

"Damn it! This team just keeps coming at us relentlessly!"

But the game wasn't over yet.

The sixth batter, Omura, stepped into the batter's box, ready to go.

Known as the third-strongest hitter on the team, just behind Sendo and Kondou, Omura was a formidable threat.

Sawamura's bunt had already rattled the pitcher, who now hesitated over potential bunts.

Capitalizing on a fastball, Omura drove the ball forward, allowing Sawamura to advance to third base.

Shortly after, Oyama followed up with a timely hit, bringing in the fifth run with zero outs.

This additional run only fueled the opposing team's fighting spirit.

Relying on breaking balls, they managed to recover and secure the next three outs, though a fielding error allowed Shin to reach base.

The batting order was now cycling back to the top. Starting the next inning would be the third batter, meaning Sendo would soon step up to the plate again.

To make matters worse for the opposing team, their pitcher, Fukasawa, had already thrown a significant number of pitches, facing 11 batters in a single inning.

"Don't worry, we'll get those runs back!" Fukasawa's teammates reassured him as they switched sides.

"Five runs, huh? Watching our offense flow so smoothly, I almost wish we could end this early," Sendo thought while donning his gear. "After all, everyone's just finished a grueling training camp, and they're pretty exhausted. It might not show during offense, but defense will start to falter as the innings pile on."

However, Sendo trusted Sawamura, who was in great form.

...

In the top of the second inning, Fukasawa's cleanup hitter stepped up to bat.

"Hit it out!"

"Get a base hit, please!" The cheers from the bench urged their cleanup hitter forward.

Despite Akahi's explosive offense in the previous inning, Fukasawa's cleanup hitter had yet to make an impact.

If he managed a solid hit, the game's outcome could shift dramatically.

"Let's go! Shut down their cleanup hitter and seize control of the game's rhythm!" Sendo silently encouraged himself as he signaled for a pitch.

"I know! This is the one thing I can do, isn't it?" Sawamura thought, fully aware of the situation.

Pop!

"Strike!"

The batter hesitated at the outside pitch, unable to swing.

While the pitch didn't sink low, its speed and peculiar movement made it difficult for an average hitter to react.

"That was lucky! It made it in! Now then..." Sendo silently celebrated the fortunate strike and pitied the shaken batter.

Pop!

"Strike!"

This time, the ball landed on the inner edge, though it was more toward the center than a true inside pitch.

"I can't just stand here anymore!" Desperate, the cleanup hitter, who had previously faced central fastballs, began to crumble under the unpredictable inner and outer pitches.

"Now that you're so unsettled, this will be easy!" Sendo thought, glancing at the overwhelmed batter.

"Final pitch!"

Whoosh!

"A fastball down the middle?"

Pop!

"Strike! Batter out!"

"What an idiot! Swinging at such an obvious high ball?" Coach Daimon shook his head in frustration at his cleanup hitter.

However, given the immense pressure from the previous inning and the sudden change in pitch placement, the mistake was understandable.

"Yes!" In contrast, Akagi's defense celebrated enthusiastically.

"One out!" Sawamura raised his hand and called out.

"One out!"

"We're in control now!"

Ping!

Pop!

"Out!"

Pop!

"Strike! Batter out!"

The fifth batter was caught out, and the sixth was struck out, solidifying Akagi's dominance in the game's tempo.

As the second inning progressed, Akagii's central hitters returned to the offensive, with Kondou leading off in a bunt stance as he approached the batter's box.

"A bunt? What's he thinking? Isn't he one of their core hitters?"

Even now, Fukasawa's catcher struggled to decipher Akagi's unpredictable lineup. While it was clear their cleanup hitter was a monster, the rest of the batters remained a mystery—whether they were bunting or hitting.

Faced with uncertainty, Fukasawa's defense opted for forward positioning and breaking balls, knowing fastballs were too dangerous against Akagi's top hitters.

"Here we go!" With their decision made, the pitcher and catcher prepared for the next pitch.

But just as the ball was released, Kondou switched from a bunt to a full swing.

"Last inning, I saw way too many breaking balls!" Kondou thought as he swung at a breaking pitch, managing to hit it perfectly into the gap between the infield and outfield.

While Kondou's batting skills were impressive compared to most of Akagii's lineup, precise control over where the ball lands was something only top-tier batters could achieve.

Not even Sendo could do that—he could only aim for general directions and leave the rest, including distance, up to chance.

With the game firmly in Akagi's favor, even luck seemed to side with them.

Inside, Sendo couldn't help but grumble.

He had faced terrible luck in previous games, and now that good fortune was finally smiling on him, he silently prayed it wouldn't run out when the official matches began.

"Great! A double! Keep it up, Sendo! Sen..." Sawamura's voice gradually grew louder and more frustrated as he realized Sendo wasn't paying attention.

Sendo was so lost in thought about luck that he didn't notice it was his turn to bat.

"SEN... SENDO!!! What are you even thinking?!" Sawamura yelled, his tone both angry and endearing.

"Shut up, Eijun!" Sendo muttered, trying to cover his embarrassment with a calm façade.

The opposing catcher glanced at Sendo with a mix of fear and suspicion, then exchanged a quick nod with their ace on the mound.

Moments later...

"An intentional walk? Are they scared now?" Akagi's bench erupted.

The opposing catcher didn't even squat for a pitch, signaling an automatic walk instead.

From their earlier encounter, they realized that Sendo's power was dangerous—even when he didn't hit the sweet spot of the bat, the ball could fly far.

A foul ball was manageable, but if it stayed fair, consecutive home runs could crush their pitcher's morale.

Thus, the intentional walk marked the start of what would become Sendo's frustrating middle school experience.

Intentional walks were rare in practice matches, but they had no choice—letting someone like Sendo swing with runners on base was simply too risky.

Yet, just as the catcher relaxed, Kondou seized the opportunity and stole third base.

"Safe!"

"Damn it! I almost forgot how good they are at stealing bases!" the catcher lamented, watching helplessly as Kondou reached third.

"Ball four!"

With the walk complete, Sendo tossed his bat aside and jogged to first base. However, while everyone else was focused on Kondou's steal, Sendo subtly signaled to Wakana.

Why Wakana? Because Sawamura was too engrossed in watching the steal and would be the least likely to notice.

"You coward!" Sawamura muttered angrily as he stepped up to the plate, still fuming.

"Come on, Eijun!" Wakana's shout from the bench broke his concentration as he caught sight of the signal.

"Damn it!" Sawamura grumbled as he entered the batter's box, clearly irritated. Whether it was due to the walk or the signal remained unclear.

The opposing pitcher and catcher, wary of Akahi's unpredictable tactics, cautiously prepared for Sawamura's at-bat.

"No chance we're loading the bases now," they decided. The batter behind Sawamura, Omura, was too strong to risk facing with the bases loaded, especially with no outs.

The game led to an unexpected confrontation between Sawamura and the pitcher.

Sendo, meanwhile, took advantage of the pitcher's casual delivery and bolted for second base.

"What the...?!"

"Safe!"

The catcher was stunned by Sendo's sheer speed—he covered the distance from first to second in just about three seconds.

With no outs and runners on second and third, the pressure on the defense mounted.

"What kind of godlike speed is that? This has to be illegal! Was that signal just a distraction to set us up for this?" The frazzled catcher spiraled into overthinking.

Faced with yet another dilemma, the pitcher and catcher carefully deliberated before deciding on their next move.

However...

Ping!

Sawamura executed a flawless bunt, allowing Kondou to easily score while Sendo advanced to third.

"Still bunting?! Are you kidding me?!" the opposing catcher exploded in frustration.

"First base!" Despite his anger, he managed to direct the play quickly.

The score was now 6-0, and it was only the second inning.

The pitcher, overwhelmed, gave up another run when Omura connected for a hit, making it 7-0.

Shortly after, the ace pitcher, unable to handle the mounting pressure, was pulled from the game.

The replacement pitcher fared no better. Akagi's relentless offense and Sawamura's superb pitching crushed their morale, resulting in a decisive 11-0 victory after just four innings.

Even when Sendo displayed his incredible speed and field awareness later in the game, the opposing team refused to pitch to him, opting for walks instead.

Coach Daimon, who had observed quietly throughout the match, consoled his players afterward.

Despite the lopsided loss, the game was a valuable learning experience for his team.

For most of them, playing professional baseball wasn't a goal, so there were no dramatic outbursts about giving up on their dreams.

As Akagi's players boarded the bus home, their spirits were high.

They believed they were finally ready to face Tokugawa Middle School head-on.

Of course, Sawamura's confidence had inflated to absurd levels.

Although the scoreline didn't fully reflect the skill gap between the teams—it was largely a result of Akagi's tactical dominance—it was undoubtedly a meaningful match for both sides.

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