Diamond No Ace: Life As Sawamura Eijun

Chapter 282: The Stalemate in the Finals

There's a runner on second base.

At bat is the player who scored the first run in the first inning—Isashiki Jun.

Komadai Fujimaki had to admit that Isashiki Jun's ability ranked among the top five batters they had faced.

However, after getting familiar with him, he was no longer as difficult to handle.

Strictly speaking, in terms of pure pitch power, Iguchi could undoubtedly overpower Isashiki Jun.

In this second at-bat, Komadai Fujimaki's pitcher-catcher duo capitalized on this advantage, using fastballs meticulously placed in all four corners of the strike zone.

This made Isashiki Jun feel as if his strength had nowhere to go, especially with the sheer pressure of Iguchi's pitching.

Even though Iguchi's pitch power wasn't perfect, his precise control compensated for it.

Ultimately, Isashiki Jun couldn't replicate his success from the first at-bat.

After stubbornly hanging on through several pitches, he had no choice but to swing at a tricky pitch.

The result was a high fly ball to the outfield, easily caught for an out. Once again, Komadai Fujimaki kept Seidou scoreless this inning.

Three outs. Side change.

From this point onward, the game between Seidou High and Komadai Fujimaki High seemed to settle into a stalemate.

Top of the fourth inning. Komadai Fujimaki was on the attack.

The second rotation of their batting lineup started this inning.

This time, Nishi appeared even more cautious, exhibiting patience reminiscent of Kominato Ryousuke.

He avoided swinging at pitches that could likely be called balls, even at the risk of striking out without swinging.

This approach brought Komadai Fujimaki back into their familiar offensive rhythm.

As the second rotation began in the fourth inning, Eijun clearly started to feel the pressure.

"Whoosh!"

"Ping!"

Not good!?

Eijun's expression changed as soon as the ball left his hand.

He had unconsciously raised his release point slightly, causing the pitch to float just a little higher than intended.

That slight elevation in the pitch was all it took for Nishi to seize the opportunity.

"Whoosh!"

The ball streaked through the sky, glowing as it sped toward the outfield.

Nishi dropped his bat and sprinted toward first base. On Komadai Fujimaki's bench, cheers erupted as they believed the hit was solid.

"Swish, swish, swish!"

But before the ball landed, everything was still uncertain.

In center field, Isashiki Jun's blue-and-white figure sprinted toward the ball. With the ball falling fast, he made a perfect read and dove.

By the narrowest of margins—but with impeccable timing—he caught the ball.

"Pop!"

"OUT!!!"

As the umpire's voice echoed, Nishi furrowed his brows and came to a reluctant halt halfway down the base path.

Though his hit had been slightly shallow, the center fielder's quick reaction was simply too incredible.

On Komadai Fujimaki's bench, the players wore expressions of surprise.

"You idiot! Stay focused!"

After standing up, Isashiki Jun turned and yelled at Eijun, who had just breathed a sigh of relief on the mound. Startled, Eijun flinched and gave an embarrassed smile.

"Yes, Isashiki-senpai."

"Be more careful, Sawamura!" Kuramochi called out loudly from between second and third base.

"Take it one step at a time and deal with them," said Yuuki in a calm but firm tone.

"Heh, don't be scared," someone quipped from the field.

"Ugaah!" Isashiki growled.

"Second batter, shortstop, Taninaka-kun!" The announcer's voice echoed as the next batter stepped up.

Nishi's unexpected out made a noticeable dent in Komadai Fujimaki's morale.

After all, they had all thought it was a sure hit, and Taninaka was already prepared to sacrifice himself to advance the runner.

However, they didn't expect Seidou's defense to be so solid.

But thinking about it, it was only natural. Any team that made it this far wouldn't be an easy opponent.

After Nishi's out, Taninaka stepped up to bat.

While he was a decent all-around player, he lacked standout traits in power or technique.

At his current level, he didn't pose a significant threat to Eijun.

Although he tried to stay in the game by stubbornly battling each pitch, the gap in skill was evident.

After five pitches, he was retired.

With two outs already secured by Seidou, the third batter, ace Iguchi, stepped up.

He managed to track the trajectory of Eijun's fastball but lacked just a bit of precision.

While his swing was swift and well-timed, luck wasn't on his side.

A sharp liner toward first base landed directly in Yuuki's glove. Without hesitation, Yuuki firmly secured the ball, sealing Iguchi's out.

In the top of the fourth inning, Eijun once again achieved a clean three-up-three-down inning against Komadai Fujimaki.

"Phew… They're starting to catch up to me. And this is only the second rotation through their lineup," Eijun said as he returned to the dugout, exhaling deeply.

"Haha, well, they've made it to the finals, so of course they're skilled. Starting from the next inning, let's mix up the pitch selection a bit. Don't let them easily pick up on your rhythm," Miyuki said with a laugh as he removed his catcher's gear.

"Yeah, no rush. Take your time. The game is still under control. Sawamura, attack boldly. Don't be afraid of giving up hits—trust the defense behind you," Chris said with a reassuring smile.

"Exactly! We've got your back, so just focus on pitching your best," Isashiki Jun added, giving Eijun's shoulder a firm pat and speaking with his usual carefree attitude.

"Haha, don't worry, we'll make sure to defend everything," Kuramochi said with a mischievous grin.

"Or do you not trust your senpais?" Kominato Ryousuke said with a playful smile.

"Yes, senpais!!" Eijun replied enthusiastically, nodding firmly with a bright smile. He knew Seidou's defense was the most reliable. If he couldn't trust them, then what defense could he trust?

Meanwhile, in Komadai Fujimaki's dugout:

"This is getting tricky. That pitcher has really settled into his rhythm," said Taninaka, frowning slightly.

"Yeah, and that defense isn't easy to break through either. In the outfield, if the hit isn't deep enough, there's a high chance it'll be caught," Nishi said, his expression turning serious.

"Don't rush," Coach Nitta said calmly.

"As the game progresses, things will turn in our favor. One run is nothing. In the late game, a worn-out pitcher is someone we can score off as much as we want."

Coach Nitta's expression remained composed, showing no concern for the current stalemate. It was as if he didn't mind the current situation at all.

---------------

If you want to read 10 advance chapters ahead.

Visit my patreon: patreon.com/Leonzky