Ko and Senda visit the junior high to watch the scrimmage game. Aoba is pitching, and she’s so in control she purposely lets the batters get a few hits.
The district tournament begins, and the varsity team sweeps their first opponent. Azuma’s getting a lot of attention from the media, but he and Miki start to have misgivings about Coach Daimon.
Daimon's irrational coaching leads to a loss for the varsity team in the district tournament. Aoba meets Azuma’s brother Junpei at the game and takes him home with her, where he immediately falls in love with Ichiyo.
The Portables' not-so-stellar record has the principal thinking it's the perfect chance to get rid of the Portables and fire Coach Maeno. But Coach Maeno challenges Daimon's team to a scrimmage...