Diamond No Ace: The Strongest Hitter Has Arrived

Chapter 431 431: Team Sport

In the bottom of the fifth inning, the Ushimaru Agricultural High School Baseball Team was on offense.

The Seido High School Baseball Team's Spring Tournament first-round game was truly a rollercoaster.

Originally, none of the Seido High School Baseball Team's players had taken their opponent today too seriously.

Although Ushimaru Agricultural had a history of making it to Koshien, that was decades ago and had nothing to do with the current team.

Although the story of their previous generation of players was very touching, what good was a touching story? They had ultimately failed to even make it into the top 16.

The results spoke for themselves.

While it was true that during a game you shouldn't underestimate any opponent, the probability of a team of Ushimaru Agricultural's caliber posing a fatal threat to the Seido High School Baseball Team was simply too low to take seriously.

It was precisely because of this confidence that Coach Kataoka had dared to temporarily adjust the team's style in this game.

He knew that this measured, step-by-step approach would make it easier for the team to go all the way.

However, the Seido High School Baseball Team hadn't played this way before. Changing styles mid-season still carried some risk.

And then, this scene unfolded.

The Seido High School Baseball Team's players looked at each other.

Their dominant fifth inning had just ended like that?

It didn't feel real.

Their opponent seemed to have suddenly become stronger.

Coach Kataoka's expression wasn't good either.

The development of events was too different from the script he had envisioned.

Honestly, the players' performance hadn't been bad. They had faithfully executed his commands. It was just that their opponent had suddenly become stronger.

At this point, all they could do was acknowledge the man named Aikawa Kazuo.

"Let's hold this inning first."

A five-inning mercy rule was no longer possible.

The Seido High School Baseball Team's original plan had completely fallen through, and the players were inevitably affected.

The first to be affected was their pitcher, Tanba.

When he was pitching in the bottom of the fifth inning, Ushimaru's Fourth Batter got hold of one and hit a double.

The situation became no outs, runner on Second Base.

With a runner on base, Tanba's expression stiffened slightly.

But most of the Seido High School Baseball Team's players didn't take it too seriously at that point.

Pitching is like that. Throw enough pitches in a game and no one can guarantee every one will be problem-free.

As long as he didn't mess up in critical situations, he was already a very good pitcher.

So far, Tanba had only given up one hit.

What more could they be unsatisfied with?

The players were calm, thinking it was nothing major. As long as they steadied now, it would be fine.

But their wish was destined to go unfulfilled.

Tanba's subsequent performance was enough to make everyone's jaw drop.

The Fifth Batter, who was also Ushimaru Agricultural's pitcher, was Aikawa Kazuo.

He not only pitched fiercely but also appeared to be a capable hitter, placed in the core batting lineup.

He aimed for Tanba's fastball and hit it directly.

"Ping!"

The ball landed in the gap in the outfield defense.

Ushimaru Agricultural's Fourth Batter, already on Second Base, ran all the way home on that hit.

Ushimaru Agricultural had scored a run.

The total score became 4-1.

Ushimaru Agricultural's players celebrated enthusiastically, as if they had already won the game.

Although not many fans in the stands had come to cheer for Ushimaru, they wouldn't miss such an exciting moment. They cheered and applauded the players on the field.

On the other side, the fans supporting the Seido High School Baseball Team fell silent.

The Seido High School Baseball Team's laid-back expressions completely vanished.

Ushimaru Agricultural's players would never know how much trouble that one run had caused.

They had opened Pandora's box.

Miyuki called a timeout, and all the infield players gathered on the pitcher's mound.

It was already clear that Tanba's condition was off.

The key was that they didn't know how it had gone wrong, or most importantly, how to fix it.

Miyuki kept racking his brain.

This senior's mental fortitude wasn't great, and he was extremely proud. When communicating with him, every word had to be chosen carefully, otherwise it could easily backfire.

"Senior, don't worry about the runner on base. Leave the defense to us. You just focus on your pitching."

"You don't need to lecture me!"

Tanba said impatiently.

Yuuki narrowed his eyes and patted Tanba's shoulder with his glove.

"Don't try to bear the problem by yourself. We're teammates."

"Hehe, if you only want to play one-man baseball, your Ace position might just be snatched away by your juniors."

Kominato Ryosuke went straight for a sore spot.

Those words had a significant effect.

Tanba glanced at Zhang Han out of the corner of his eye, then at Kawakami in the dugout.

His tense nerves finally eased.

His eyes regained their fighting spirit.

Miyuki quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

As long as Senior Tanba could perform at his previous level, Ushimaru Agricultural wouldn't be able to cause any more trouble.

In a place where no one noticed, Coach Kataoka's gaze was deep.

Afterward, Tanba's pitching returned to form.

Facing that rapidly dropping curveball, like a meteor striking the ground, Ushimaru Agricultural's players could only watch helplessly.

They couldn't even swing the bat, let alone hit the ball.

Not being scared into falling over by that ball was already a testament to their mental fortitude and daily training.

This also left Zhang Han in quiet awe.

His senior clearly possessed such a powerful weapon, yet didn't know how to make the best use of it.

It was a waste.

If he had such a sharp breaking ball, he would firmly hold the pitcher's position and never give up the Ace spot to anyone.

Of course, Zhang Han could only feel a passing envy. His own strengths lay elsewhere. Dwelling on what others had was pointless. When he resumed pitching, he would focus on honing his fastball.

At the end of the fifth inning, the score remained 4-1.

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