THE RIZAL Memorial Baseball Field traditionally paints the names of those who have hit homeruns in the old stadium. Blue Batter Kevin Ramos can now join the likes of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig as his two homeruns led the Ateneo Blue Batters over the UP Fighting Maroons, 13-10, on December 12, 2010.
The Blue Batters rallied from a 7-2 deficit in the sixth inning as they tied the game in the seventh, and took the lead for good in the eighth with a 10-7 advantage.
Ramos, a rookie, was the main source of the offense with a three-run homerun in the eight and a two-run homerun in the ninth.
“I was really focused on the ball but I didn’t expect it to leave the park,” said Ramos on the two homeruns which saw him mobbed by his teammates every time he crossed home plate.
UP tried to rally in the ninth as they cut down the lead to 3. But, reliever Nick Sarda got out of the jam with some clean fielding by his teammates to bring an end to the game.
It was a messy game which saw several errors, wild throws and batters hit by both teams. But the Blue Batters’ hitting kicked in at the right time to make sure they ended their first round on a high note.
The game puts Ateneo at 2 wins and 3 losses at the end the first round of the tournament, very much alive for a final four berth.