Diamond no Ace: My Sharingan

"Safe!!"

"Score!!!!"

Just when the players of Gogen High School's baseball team thought they could finally breathe a sigh of relief…

The Seidou High School baseball team slapped them hard with cruel reality once again.

Chris safely returned to home plate, helping Seidou secure their third run.

The score became 3–0.

If it were just a single run, it wouldn't be too bad.

But the key point is: Seidou's players proved with their actions that scoring runs was effortless for them.

They didn't need their core hitters, nor any special tactics.

Even their bottom-of-the-lineup batters working together were enough to score.

Zhou Hao's hit placement was extremely clever.

By the time Gogen's players retrieved the ball, Zhou Hao had already made it to second base from first.

"Safe!"

The situation now was: one out, runner on second base.

When Gogen's players saw this, they were completely numb.

They couldn't believe it, filled with confusion.

What's going on?

Is the gap between them and Seidou really this huge?

Meanwhile, Seidou's offense wasn't done yet.

Their ninth batter stepped up.

Back in the dugout, the second- and third-year seniors gathered together, laughing heartily.

"Haha, did you guys notice? Little Zhou Hao seems faster than before."

Zhou Hao's hit placement was clever, no doubt.

But with his previous speed, he might not have made it to second base so easily.

He likely would've stopped at first.

Never underestimate the distance between bases—it could determine whether Seidou continues scoring or not.

The run Chris and Zhou Hao combined to score was a heavy blow to Gogen.

They were almost questioning their life choices.

But as a team that could somewhat compete with Inashiro Industrial…

They weren't going to collapse so easily.

To completely crush them, Seidou would need to widen the lead further.

Seidou's ninth batter was quickly dealt with.

"Out!"

Two outs, runner on second.

"Ahhh!!!"

After getting the out, Ikegami roared on the mound.

If he didn't do that, he felt like he'd be overwhelmed by negative emotions.

In this game—both him and his teammates—had been playing under intense pressure.

Now he only needed to get one more batter out to end the second inning.

Two innings and three runs allowed.

To Gogen's players, that was already a massive blow.

They absolutely couldn't afford to let in any more runs.

At this moment, Seidou's batting lineup reset back to the top.

Matsumoto!

As Matsumoto stepped into the batter's box for the second time, he was filled with emotion.

He had faced Ikegami before and knew his pitching ability well.

Who would've thought that this pitcher would already be on the verge of collapse?

Don't be fooled by how Ikegami just struck out the ninth batter and shouted.

That only showed how much pressure he was under.

Plus, Seidou's offensive power was no joke.

In just two innings, Ikegami was already showing signs of breaking.

As Seidou's leadoff batter, Matsumoto knew his responsibility well.

After entering the batter's box, he immediately raised his bat.

As long as the pitch came close, he'd swing without hesitation.

"You're not hitting this!"

On the mound, Ikegami threw the pitch with everything he had.

He had the spirit of a man fighting with his back to the wall.

At this point, his team had been cornered. Ikegami had no other choice.

All he could do was pitch with everything he had and try to strike out the batters.

There was no other path forward.

Seeing the aggressive pitch, Matsumoto didn't swing right away. He let the first pitch go.

Pop!

"Ball!"

The pitch missed the strike zone.

Gogen's catcher signaled his partner.

You threw it too hard!

Control is like that—when you try too hard, things often backfire.

Ikegami had clearly made that mistake.

The more he wanted to pitch with full power, the harder it became to control the ball.

"If our ace pitcher cracks now, we're finished."

Gogen's coach also stood up.

"Stay calm!"

With reminders from both the catcher and the coach…

Ikegami finally managed to barely calm down.

He exhaled deeply and took the ball in hand.

Whoosh!

His pitching motion was fluid, and the white baseball flew out with a howl.

On second base, Zhou Hao immediately began running toward third as he saw the pitch.

This was his chance.

Even though the control was better this time, the pitch didn't have the same power.

Even standing behind the batter's box, Zhou Hao could see it clearly.

At the plate, Matsumoto also noticed the pitch lacked the intensity of the previous one.

"Now!"

Seizing the moment, Matsumoto didn't hesitate.

He gripped the bat tightly with both hands and swung as the pitch came.

Crack!

The ball was hit into the field again.

Seeing the ball fly, Gogen's players felt like their world turned dark.

They realized clearly—this game was over.

Even though this was only the second inning, and only the top half of it…

There were still several innings to go.

But they already had a bad feeling about the final result.

They tried to stop the ball—but couldn't.

The ball flew past them again.

Zhou Hao, who was prepared, dashed toward third base.

Once he reached third, he didn't pause and headed straight for home.

"Throw it in!"

Gogen's outfielder had already picked up the ball and threw it toward home plate.

His aim was actually good.

Even from 50 meters away, the ball accurately landed in the catcher's glove.

In Seidou's dugout, the upperclassmen were all on edge.

"Why is that guy running like a turtle?!"

Just moments ago, Higashikuni was praising Zhou Hao's speed. Now he couldn't help but complain.

No one expected that despite running so slowly, Zhou Hao managed to step on home plate—

Right as the ball landed in Goyuan's catcher's glove.

"Safe!!"

"Seidou High School scores their fourth run!"

The scoreboard now read: 4–0!

The entire crowd roared in celebration!!!

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POWER STONE!!??

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