Ace of the Diamond

The Seido baseball club has been invited to the spring invitational at the hallowed Koshien Stadium. Sawamura will finally stand on the mound! Standing between Seido and the national title are the winners of last year's summer tournament Komadai Fujimaki and their unstoppable ace Masamune Hongo. Can Seido triumph over Komadai? It's the start of another heated battle in youth baseball!

In the second round of the invitational, Seido faces Nihon Shono. After throwing a 150 km/h pitches to shut down batters in the first round, Furuya has become the darling of the press and the fans. Which team will advance to the quarterfinals? What about the other team from Tokyo, Yakushi led by Todoroki Raichi? And what of the summer tournament winners, Komadai Fujimaki? The quarterfinals are taking shape.

It's ninth day and fourth round of the spring invitational and Seido will finally face Komadai Fujimaki. It's Masamune Hongo's first start of the tournament, and he has not given up a single run. How will the Seido batters counter his 150 km/h fastballs and sharp splitters? Meanwhile, Furuya is starting for Seido. How will he fare against the Komadai Fujimaki batters?

The quarterfinal match against Komadai Fujimaki is wrapping up. Miyuki earned Seido's only hit against Komadai Fujimaki's Hongo in seven innings. However, Seido's Furuya continues to respond to Hongo and improve his game. Will Seido be able to earn a spot in the semifinals? Will Sawamura get a chance to play?

Losing to Komadai Fujimaki, Seido is out of the spring invitational. What did Furuya as he pitched against Hongo? But there's no time to bask in the afterglow of Koshien Stadium. The Seido lineup is shifting once again. New first-years are joining the team. The other baseball club members are carefully measuring the time left until the summer tournament. And then Haruichi unveils a unexpected change.

Seido has little time to rest after the spring invitational before the Tokyo spring tournament. Their first round opponent is Eigen High School. Kawakami is the lead-off pitcher, but the crowd is expecting Furuya who shone at Koshien Stadium. Will Furuya make an appearance? And what about Sawamura, who was disappointed and Koshien Stadium and is all too aware of Furuya's prowess?