Diamond no Ace: Act II

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?

A third-round game at the Tokyo spring tournament is attracting a lot of interest. Inashiro Industrial, the runner-up team from last year's summer tournament with this generation's best southpaw, Mei Narumiya, is facing Yakushi, a quarterfinal finisher from the spring invitational. How have they grown after their winter training and experience in the invitational? Has Narumiya recovered after his disappointing run in the fall? This heavily watched game is about to get under way!

At Meiji Jingu Secondary Stadium, the sparks are flying as Inashiro and Yakushi's game wraps up. Meanwhile, Okumura and the other new Seido first-years are learning how tough high school baseball can be. Seido can seat 20 players on the bench for the spring tournament, but they've only registered 18. Coach Kataoka purposely left two spots open so the third-years for whom this is the last summer tournament, as well as the second and new first-years will compete for them.

Seido has made it to the fourth round of the Tokyo Spring Tournament. With East and West Tokyo competing, there are some interesting games coming! Teito, a school that has played many times at Koshien Stadium and defeated the reigning champions Inashiro in last year's fall tournament, is facing Ugumori who have been getting lots of attention. The winner of this game will play Inashiro in the fifth round! It will be a match to see!

Sawamura goes to tell Miyuki about Okumura's outburst, but remembers his own conflict with upperclassmen and judging Chris before knowing his situation. In the spring tournament, Teito's game against Ugumori finishes and Seido will face Kasuga First High in the quarterfinals. Will Furuya start, or Sawamura? With Ichidai Third High's Amahisa and the new first-years watching, Coach Kataoka declares they will win and selects the starting pitcher...

It's the quarterfinals of the spring tournament and Seido is playing Kasuga First High. In the bottom of the third inning, Haruichi Kominato gets a timely hit to give Seido the lead and bring the cleanup Miyuki up to bat. Can Miyuki take the pressure of starting pitcher Sawamura? The fifth inning sees a big chance for Kasuga First. Can Sawamura see the game through? Meanwhile, the effect of Koshien Stadium on Furuya has become apparent, making him more focused on being the ace. What is it he sees, looking forward?

After being added to the bench, first-year Masashi Yuki hits a home run in his first game. Okumura, Yui and Asada, each with their own emotions, are practicing and getting more familiar with the team. The team is preparing for their next game against Ichidai Third High. During practice, Miyuki prioritizes catching for Furuya, which frustrates Sawamura. Having been reproached by Miyuki for clasing with Sawamura, Okumura volunteers to catch for him.

The spring tournament game against Ichidai Third High has finally begun. Seido is batting first against Ichidai Third High ace Kosei Amahisa. Seido's cleanup starts as Haruichi Kominato steps up to the plate with one out and a runner on third. Will Miyuki getting them to bat first help them take the lead? Meanwhile, Seido's starting pitcher Furuya takes the mound with the same emotions he felt in the Invitational. The early innings are turning into a heated battle!

The spring tournament game against Ichidai Third High has finally begun. Seido is batting first against Ichidai Third High ace Kosei Amahisa. Seido's cleanup starts as Haruichi Kominato steps up to the plate with one out and a runner on third. Will Miyuki getting them to bat first help them take the lead? Meanwhile, Seido's starting pitcher Furuya takes the mound with the same emotions he felt in the Invitational. The early innings are turning into a heated battle!

It's Seido vs Ichidai Third High in the spring tournament semifinals. Up 2 - 0 until the fifth inning, Seido's starting pitcher Furuya faces an Ichidai rally. Unable to control the ball, his pitching continues to falter. Miyuki trusts Furuya as the ace and does his best to guide him. However, after his third walk in one inning, Coach Ochiai gives Coach Kataoka a bit of advice, helping him make a firm decision to...

It's the spring tournament semifinal game against Ichidai. After saving his team with his perfect relief pitching, Sawamura is now the lead-off batter in the top of the sixth. Can Sawamura get on base and lead his team in a counterattack? Ichidai Third High's Amahisa's impeccable pitching hasn't allowed Seido a run since the second inning. Will the Seido batters support Sawamura and mount a comeback? Which team will advance to the final?

After their own semifinal game the nine Seido players watch Inashiro's semifinal against Teito. Narumiya and Mukai both played at Koshien Stadium as first-years, and then received their powerhouse school's ace number as second-years, and they'll both be pitching. Meanwhile, Seido High School is analyzing their game against Ichidai Third High, focusing on Coach Kataoka. Then, Miyuki remembers a certain thought...

After seeing the result of the spring tournament, the Seido players think about what they lack, and begin to act on it. Sawamura shows an especially strong will to improve, and it propagates to other third-years. Meanwhile, the final game of the spring tournament is being played. Miyuki and Furuya, who has felt pressure ever since playing at Koshien Stadium, are at Meiji Jingu Secondary Stadium to see it.

Coach Kataoka announces the team will play an intrasquad game, setting the practice fields abuzz. The first-years are eager to perform in order to make the second string, but so are the upperclassmen who want to make the first string. With Sawamura and the other main players looking on, first-year Kukki starts the game. How will Okumura, Seto and the other first-years counter the intense competitive spirit of the upperclassmen?

The first-years are playing the second and third-years in an intrasquad game. In the third inning, the Asada-Okumura battery comes on to face the upperclassmen. After seeing Okumura and Seto's aggressive play, Asada thinks to himself that he wants to live upto Okumura's expectations. Will Asada's pitches hit their mark? Meanwhile, Kawashima continues his intense pitching to try to take back his illustrious spot on the bench. Can Okumura and Seto's devious batting continue to work on the upperclassmen?

With the intrasquad game over, Kataoka selects those who will be on the first string, causing joy and sorrow among the first-years and the upperclassmen. Meanwhile, Miyuki begins talking about the team at length with Kuramochi in their classroom. Although he says, "Honestly, no amount of time would be enough," Kuramochi says Miyuki still seems to be enjoying himself.

Miyuki has ordered Sawamura and Furuya to practice with the first-year catchers. Will they be able to lead and live up to Miyuki's expectations? During night practice, Sawamura is enthusiastic to have Miyuki catch for him. Then Coach Kataoka shows up and watches the numbered pitches Sawamura throws to Miyuki. Kataoka has something to tell Sawamura.

During the long break in May, the powerhouse schools travel to different parts of the country to compete in practice games to prepare for the summer tournament. Fujimaki Komadai has traveled to Osaka to play Osaka Kiryu; Inashiro is playing Saiho in Aichi; Yoshinaga from Tokushima is in Kumamoto playing Shogakkan. Seido tides themselves over by playing Yamaga in Saitama, but then it's time for Sawamura to take the mound against Hakuryu, a team that finished in the semi finals of the Invitational.

The game against Hakuryu and third batter Mima is finally under way. They are one of the most mobile teams in the country. Sawamura finds himself in trouble early in the first inning. Will his pitching style work against the Hakuryu batters? Meanwhile, Seido has changed up their batting order to be more aggressive after their loss in the spring tournament. How will they fare in this game?

Sawamura's pitching is looking strong against Hakuryu. Mima and the high school baseball fans were expecting to see Furuya pitch, but they have to acknowledge Sawamura's skill. Meanwhile, out in left field, Furuya can't stop thinking about standing on the mound. What will Kataoka do as he loses his focus? And then, Sawamura faces Mima for the third time.