Diamond No Ace: The Monster

Chapter 21: Furuya Ends with a Home Run!

"Third base!"

All eyes at the scene were drawn to third base.

They watched the baseball fly by, and at the same time, they saw Sawamura stepping on the base.

Just when everyone thought the Freshmen Team's offense had come to a halt, to everyone's surprise, the young boy named Sawamura did not stop.

He stepped over the base and dashed toward home plate.

"This guy must be looking for trouble!"

The second and third-year players from the Seido High School baseball team felt a tremendous sense of insult.

What gave their opponents the confidence to think he could return to home plate in this situation?

Did he really believe their third baseman was just sitting idle?

Haruichi, who had successfully reached first base, wore an expression of disbelief.

Although he had shouted for Sawamura to continue, deep down, he didn't believe Sawamura had a chance of making it home.

"This guy is really too naive, isn't he?"

Though he thought this, Haruichi kept those words to himself. Instead, he excitedly raised his arms and shouted, "Go for it!"

Only by trying can they create a miracle.

They had already witnessed the strength of the second and third-year seniors, particularly that of Senpai Kawakami on the mound.

Even though they had managed to get on base twice in a row, Haruichi knew that whether they could score in this game was still uncertain.

At this moment, if Sawamura could catch the opponent off-guard, perhaps they might truly have a chance to score.

The other first-year players also joined in, cheering loudly.

Even though there was a hint of foolishness in Sawamura's clear eyes, no one could deny that it was his appearance that reinvigorated the first-year team.

Furuya's strength only proved himself and didn't uplift the whole freshmen team.

In contrast, Sawamura seemed to possess some kind of magical aura.

At this moment, all the first-year newcomers earnestly hoped that Sawamura would make it back to home plate.

"Don't underestimate me! Watch as I knock you down!"

As Sawamura barreled toward him, the catcher, Ono, remained calm.

Sawamura's calculations had to be flawed.

The baseball reached third base and quickly made its way to home plate, and before Sawamura could arrive, Ono had already caught the ball in his glove.

"Smack!"

After securing the ball, Ono stood firm and steady.

Just wait for Sawamura to collide with him!

With his experience and the well-honed skills he acquired at Seido High School's baseball team, Ono didn't believe that Sawamura could successfully sneak past him.

Ono was confident he could stop Sawamura.

Soon enough, the collision occurred.

From the perspective of the onlookers, the two were entangled together.

Ono's glove was already on Sawamura's body.

"You rookie brat, you have a long way to go!"

The second and third-year players watching this unfold were all grinning with triumph and arrogance.

From their perspective, it was evident that Sawamura was already out at this moment.

But Coach Kataoka did not say the same.

"Safe! The Freshmen Team gets a point!"

The game was well into its later stages, and the newcomers had just scored their first point.

The score was now 22 to 1.

Although the score gap was still shockingly large, the second and third-year seniors felt as if they had just been slapped hard across the face.

Their faces were flushed with disbelief.

"How could this happen?"

Only Ono, crouched in the catcher's position, took a sharp breath in surprise.

While others were unclear about what had happened, as a firsthand participant, he had seen all of Sawamura's movements clearly.

Just when he was about to tag Sawamura out, Sawamura unexpectedly dodged his glove at an incredible angle.

At that moment, Sawamura's arm was almost bent.

"Doesn't this guy fear getting hurt?"

That maneuver was far too dangerous; if it had been anyone else instead of Sawamura, there was a high probability they would have ended up with a fracture, or even a lifelong disability.

No matter how shocked Ono was inside, the score on the field had already changed.

22:1.

A gap so large it bordered on absurd.

When Sawamura returned to the Freshmen Team, he was greeted with cheers from all his teammates.

The morale of the Freshmen Team surged tremendously.

It felt as if it wasn't them who were trailing by more than 20 points.

The second and third-year seniors, faced with such provocation from the newcomers, were clearly enraged!

In the following moments of the game, the second and third-year seniors went into a frenzy.

They quickly secured two outs.

It should be noted that at this moment, the morale of the Freshmen Team was extremely high.

Previously, the Freshmen Team had been suppressed by the intimidating presence of the upperclassmen, preventing them from showcasing their full potential.

Being able to perform at seventy or eighty percent was already a sign of strong mental resilience.

However, with the outstanding performances of Furuya and Sawamura, along with the Freshmen Team scoring their first point, the anxious first-year players suddenly realized that these second and third-year seniors might not be as terrifying as they had thought.

Their opponents were not invincible monsters.

As long as they could find opportunities and demonstrate their skills steadily, they could truly compete with the upperclassmen on the field.

With confidence surging in the team, everyone seemed to recall how they dominated the baseball fields during their junior high days.

But soon, these players were brought back down to reality.

An enraged Kawakami held nothing back.

The baseball flying from his hand became increasingly sharp.

Just trying to make contact with the ball was already a mental struggle for everyone, let alone actually hitting it out of the park.

With two outs and a runner on first base, it was Furuya's turn to bat.

However, given how unexpectedly strong the second and third-year players—especially pitcher Kawakami—were performing, the newcomers couldn't help but feel anxious.

Even with Furuya at bat, they clearly didn't believe he could actually hit the ball out.

"Whoosh!"

Just as everyone was thinking this, Kawakami decisively threw the first pitch.

At that moment, Furuya's body sprang into action.

"I can't just sit here and do nothing!"

"BANG!!"

Furuya swung the bat with all his might, the bat slicing through the air with an enormous whooshing sound.

Upon hearing the crack of the bat, everyone instinctively furrowed their brows.

Even without having faced him before, they could sense that this swing was exceptionally powerful.

"Ping!"

Once the baseball made contact, it shot off at nearly double the speed of its original throw.

"It's flying! It's flying out!!!"

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