Diamond No Ace: Life As Sawamura Eijun

Chapter 240: The Strategic Battle

"Safe on base!!"

By the time Ikuei High School's right fielder managed to retrieve the ball, Eijun's figure was already near the first base.

As the ball zipped towards first, Eijun firmly planted his foot on the base.

The sharp sound of the umpire's call echoed across the field.

Ikuei High School's players couldn't hide their displeasure, especially Kimura on the pitcher's mound and Coach Natsume in the dugout.

Kimura's frustration stemmed from his decisive pitch being hit, while Coach Natsume's dissatisfaction lay in recognizing that his catcher had made a questionable call out of a momentary lapse in judgment.

Natsume shook his head subtly.

"They're still young," he thought to himself.

However, such occurrences were common in high school baseball.

Despite its increasing professionalism, student baseball inherently involves more errors compared to the professional level.

The reason is simple—students are still developing, and mistakes are part of their growth.

This distinction between strong teams and average ones often boils down to error rates.

Elite teams, with their rigorous training and solid fundamentals, make far fewer mistakes, giving them a significant edge.

But even powerhouses are not immune to errors.

After all, these are just 16- or 17-year-old kids.

Expecting perfection would be unreasonable.

Their flaws and mistakes are part of what makes high school baseball so passionate and charming.

"It's a double-edged sword," Natsume mused.

Thus, the coach wasn't about to harshly reprimand Matsushita, the catcher.

At most, he would offer a few reminders.

After all, the strategy to observe and adapt pitches was something Natsume himself had proposed.

In hindsight, it seemed to have backfired.

Natsume himself hadn't been able to discern much from that particular pitch due to the angle and delivery. It was a gamble that hadn't paid off.

"Nice hit, Sawamura-kun!"

"Well done! Keep attacking like this!"

"Let's go, Seidou! One more run to turn the game around!"

"Seidou! Seidou! Seidou!"

"Batting eighth, left fielder, Sakai-kun."

Eijun stood on first base, reflecting.

"If that pitch had been just a fraction closer to the edge, I'd have been out. The force behind that ball is no joke—it nearly completely overpowered me."

He glanced at Kimura's face on the mound and silently acknowledged his own limitations.

As Seidou advanced further into the national tournament and faced stronger opponents, Eijun became increasingly aware of his lack of power.

This wasn't just about batting.

Even in pitching, without the unique quirks of his deliveries, the sheer force and movement of his pitches would pale in comparison.

Against elite batters like Yakushi's Raichi Todoroki, Inashiro Industrial's Harada Masatoshi, and Seihou's Shuuzou Sano, this gap in strength had been glaring.

"Power... That's what I need to work on," Eijun thought, taking a deep breath to steady himself.

But for now, his focus was singular: score a run, turn the tide of this game, and secure victory.

That was the priority.

No reckless base-stealing.

Solid advancement.

In the dugout, Coach Kataoka signaled an instruction with a clear hand gesture.

On first base, both Eijun and Sakai lightly touched the brims of their caps, signaling a calm message.

Don't dwell on the last pitch; focus on shutting down the next batter. Got it, Matsushita?

In the dugout, Coach Natsume watched Matsushita at home plate with a stern expression.

He couldn't afford for his catcher to overthink the previous play, giving Seidou High another chance to capitalize.

As it stood, only one runner was on first, and the upcoming batters were from the lower lineup.

The situation wasn't dire yet.

The priority was to maintain composure and decisively block the next hitter.

Additionally, they needed to be cautious of stolen bases.

Coach Natsume's serious demeanor snapped Matsushita out of any lingering distractions, clearing his mind.

He knew the most important task was to deal with the batter in front of him.

Ikuei High still held the advantage.

There was no need to panic.

"Understood," the Ikuei High players nodded subtly on the field.

Their infield defense was positioned to guard against potential steals, further discouraging any risky attempts.

For Eijun, this defensive stance reinforced his decision not to gamble on a steal—it wasn't worth the risk.

Moreover, he needed to conserve his energy for more critical plays ahead.

Eijun surveyed the field carefully.

The distance to the base wasn't too far, and the defenders' positioning indicated they were prioritizing containment over aggression.

This subtle adjustment slightly lowered Kimura's guard toward Eijun.

According to their scouting report, while Eijun wasn't slow, the chances of him attempting a steal from this position were low.

The pitcher-catcher focus shifted back to the batter at hand.

This consensus left Eijun in the care of the infielders for now.

The batter, Sakai, was known for his power.

While his batting accuracy was somewhat lacking, his long-hitting ability was among the best in high school baseball.

This was the key reason he had secured the starting left field position at Seidou.

Swish!

Ping!

Thud!

"Foul ball!"

Unlike Eijun, who relied on precision to make contact, Sakai's raw strength allowed him to go toe-to-toe with Kimura.

Whoosh!

Pop!

"Ball."

Swish!

Ping!

Another foul ball.

Each swing from Sakai's bat carried the frustration of missed opportunities. His powerful strikes were a cathartic outlet for his pent-up emotions.

Thud!

"Foul ball!"

Sakai's aggressive swings started to weigh heavily on Matsushita.

Batters like Sakai, with their big swings, could be unpredictable, yet they were surprisingly disciplined.

Sakai was unbothered by low pitches and willingly passed on dangerous ball paths.

Even borderline low pitches were either left alone or smashed into foul territory.

Recently, Sakai had improved his ability to choose better angles for his hits, making him even harder to deal with.

His relentless approach was elevating his ability to draw out the count, and Matsushita could feel a growing sense of irritation and danger.

"Seidou's preparing to strike again," Matsushita thought, his heart pounding.

This can't continue. If we let ourselves get dragged into Seidou's rhythm, the game will slip away from us.