THE ATENEO Blue Eagles lost to the National University (NU) Bulldogs, 1-6, for their second University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 81 Men’s Baseball Tournament defeat on Wednesday, March 13, at the Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium.
With one eye on the crucial match against the De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Archers on Sunday, March 17, the Blue Eagles fielded a largely-changed squad to rest some key players while also giving other squad members a run-in. Martin Tan was the sole bright spot in an otherwise silent Blue Eagles offense, bringing in the sole run of the game.
Ateneo showed early signs of batting struggles at the top of the first inning, with Yoji Ueda’s grounder to second retiring the side. A single to centerfield from NU’s Clarion Santos put runners on second and first with one out. Azriel Villalobos followed up with a flyout but Santos and Leo Arago managed to steal bases. An RBI-double from Jerome Tenorio took Santos and Arago home to give NU the lead, 0-2. A flyout by Cyrus Barit ended the onslaught to allow Ateneo to return to bat.
Despite a walk on Miguel Habana, the Blue Eagles failed to get on the scoreboard once more, with Team Captain Javi Macasaet, veteran Gio Salvatierra, and Tan failing to capitalize. NU could not build on their momentum from the first inning, keeping the scores intact ahead of the third.
NU took advantage of another poor showing at bat by the Blue Eagles as they exploited defensive errors and poor plays to triple their lead, 0-6, at the bottom of the third inning. Arago initially drew a walk to get onto first before Santos advanced him with a double to right-field. A combination of infield errors and solid hits from Barit and Tenorio increased the deficit. A catch at home finally stops the bleeding for Ateneo to get them back at bat.
The Blue Eagles looked to cut the deficit at the top of the fourth with Tan bringing home Macasaet for Ateneo’s first run of the game, 1-6. Despite Habana’s single, a double play ended the rally abruptly to keep the lead intact.
Despite some stellar defensive play in the following innings, Ateneo failed to bat in runners and find their way back in the match. The Bulldogs managed to hold on to their precious lead despite some pressure in the closing innings as the game ended 1-6 in favor of NU.
The loss drops Ateneo to 6-2 in the tournament. They will have a chance to get back to winning ways against archrivals De La Salle University on Sunday, March 17, at the same venue.
