Diamond No Ace: Life As Sawamura Eijun

Chapter 394: The Ugumori Battle - Getting Serious

The moment Eijun's figure leaped forward,

Ugumori High's first baseman, Inubushi, immediately shouted at the top of his lungs.

The eyes of the entire audience were instantly drawn to Eijun. This was a steal attempt by the ace himself! However, Seidou's offensive strategy clearly didn't stop there.

No, it was a hit-and-run!

As Miyuki's movements at home plate became apparent,

The eyes of Ugumori High's players on the field widened in shock.

"Whoosh"

As the ball flashed toward home plate,

Amid the gasps of the crowd,

"Swish"

Miyuki, who had already adjusted his swing after a few pitches,

Swinged his bat with full force.

"Bang!"

The bat connected with the ball with pinpoint accuracy.

"Whoosh"

In that moment, a white streak soared into the sky.

Everyone held their breath.

"Left field!"

On the field, the only sound was the high-pitched shout from Ugumori's catcher, Tsuchiro.

"No way!?"

On the pitcher's mound,

Umemiya wore an expression of perfect astonishment.

After all, they had just been locked in an intense showdown.

And now, without any warning, it had turned into a two-pronged attack!?

Eijun, sprinting at full speed, naturally paid no attention to Umemiya's stunned thoughts on the mound.

With his head down, he kept running. When he heard the crack of the bat,

A faint smile tugged at the corners of his lips.

As he glanced back, the dazzling white streak had already cleared the infield.

The third base coach's rapidly waving arm,

Reinforced Eijun's determination.

Rounding second and heading for third, Eijun's target was clear—home plate!!!

"Whoosh"

The ball soared through the air.

A flash of light.

As it reached the left-center field,

Ugumori High could already sense Seidou's aggressive momentum.

Especially when they saw Eijun's relentless sprint,

Ugumori's left fielder's expression changed.

"Hurry, throw it home!!!"

Eijun, rounding second and reaching third, showed no signs of stopping.

His figure charging toward home plate,

"Oooohhhh!?"

"Aaaaaahhh!"

Elicited a wave of astonishment from the crowd. Meanwhile, Ugumori's third baseman, Takagi, and catcher, Tsuchiro, both paled.

As their desperate cries rang out,

Their eyes followed the ball.

What Ugumori's left fielder saw was Eijun's figure charging straight for home plate.

However, Miyuki's hit had landed too deep.

The ball, bouncing off the ground, even ricocheted off the left-field wall and rebounded in another direction.

By the time Ugumori's left fielder managed to pick up the ball,

And hurled it back toward the infield,

Takagi, the third baseman, had just caught the ball when,

Eijun's figure was already crossing home plate.

"Safe!!!"

As the home plate umpire spread his arms and made the call,

Takagi could only helplessly lower his arm.

"Wow, he actually made it all the way home?"

"Hmph, Sawamura's speed is second only to Kuramochi's."

"Impressive, Seidou is starting to fight back."

"It's just four runs? Watch how we catch up."

"That's the champion team for you."

"This is the momentum we need, this aggressive offense."

"Seidou, Seidou, Seidou."

As Eijun crossed home plate,

The Seidou supporters in the stands erupted into cheers,

Celebrating their team's comeback. And at that moment, Miyuki had already reached second base.

The flawless coordination of the golden battery.

Seidou High, after conceding four runs, successfully clawed one back in the bottom half of the inning.

"A perfect offensive sequence, the seamless connection between the third and fourth batters left Ugumori High scrambling. The bold safety bunt, the perfectly executed hit-and-run, and the smooth base running. In the bottom of the fourth inning, Seidou High has also scored, narrowing the gap to within three runs. Now, with no outs and a runner on second, Seidou High is in an excellent position to add more runs. Can Ugumori High hold them off!?"

"Seidou, Seidou, Seidou."

"Keep it going, Maezono."

"Show them what the champions are made of."

"Let's go!"

Damn it, he actually made it home.

On the pitcher's mound,

Umemiya's lips curled into an unusual expression.

He glanced at Eijun, who was raising his right hand at home plate.

The moment their eyes met,

A sharp glint flashed in Eijun's eyes, and in a subtle gesture, he made a throat-slitting motion.

This was a far cry from his usual calm and composed demeanor, exuding an aura of fierce determination.

Eijun was essentially issuing a direct challenge.

"So intense, damn it!!!"

"Fifth batter, first baseman, Maezono-kun."

"Maezono-senpai, that guy is starting to waver, especially after his decisive pitch was hit by both me and Miyuki-senpai. This at-bat, aim for the fastball."

As they passed each other,

Eijun lowered his voice and whispered this to Maezono.

"Got it."

With a tense expression, Maezono responded with a characteristic nasal grunt.

His posture, reminiscent of a jungle baboon, was full of determination.

You couldn't deny it.

The momentum was truly there.

A showdown between the rooster-haired pitcher and the baboon-like batter.

Round two.

"Whoosh!"

A dazzling white light.

A roaring momentum.

Just as Eijun had predicted,

Although Umemiya was still in top form,

The consecutive hits by Eijun and Miyuki, and even the run scored, had subtly affected his pitching.

A powerful swing.

Waiting for the ball to reach its furthest point before striking.

Maezono, true to his nature,

Fully unleashed his strengths in this at-bat.

He precisely caught the fastball that Umemiya, now wary, had thrown.

"Bang!"

Another ear-piercing crack.

The sharp sound of metal scraping.

Made Umemiya and the rest of Ugumori High's team pale once more.

"Whoosh"

"Oooohhh, nice hit, Maezono!"

"Run, run, Miyuki!"

"Haha, it's connected. This is our Seidou lineup!"

"Keep it going, keep it going!"

Maezono's pull hit sent the ball deep into right field.

"Thud!"

The white streak slammed into the wall and rebounded.

"Oooohhhh!!"

Maezono, doing his best to appear domineering (and slightly ridiculous), let out a gorilla-like roar as he stepped onto second base.

Yes, it was indeed deafening.

"Safe!"

Thanks to Maezono's hit,

Miyuki, who had been on second base, decisively took off.

An extra-base hit.

Miyuki easily rounded third base.

Under the helpless gaze of Ugumori High's defense, he successfully crossed home plate.

Second run.

Seidou High's cleanup hitters, the third, fourth, and fifth batters, had executed a perfect relay.

Just as the fortress was about to fall,

They successfully intercepted the enemy.

And launched a brilliant counterattack!!!

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