Pressure. Pitcher Adriane Bernardo revving up before a critical pitch in Game 3 of the 74th UAAP Baseball Finals. Photo by Jessica L. Roasa
“IN ALL my years of playing [college baseball] we’ve never had a start this good,” says team captain Matt Reyes pertaining to the team’s Season 74 performance in the first round.
“Good” is an understatement. The powerhouse Blue Batter squad swept the first round of UAAP Baseball Season 74, 5-0. Their winning streak carried over to their first match in the second round, after they slaughtered UP in only five innings.
However, their six game winning streak was snapped by Adamson in game two of round two. Three days later, the batters suffered another upsetting loss against NU.
Hungry for redemption, the Blue Batters bounced back by defeating last season’s champions UST in five innings on February 9, giving them a 7-2 win-loss record.
It’s a sweep
The game plan was simple: “One game at a time,” says Reyes. Coach Emer Barandoc also shares that he gave his boys the tall order to score and win every inning.
Unlike previous seasons, there were no first game jitters for the batters this year. They began the season with a victory against former three-peat champions Adamson, 11-5. The game also marked the debuts of rookies Paco Tantuico on the mound, Dio Remollo as designated hitter and Charles Catangui on first base. This match-up also foreshadowed Ateneo’s performance throughout the first round—games comprising of strong starts and big innings.
As their winning streak continued, so did the pressure to remain on top. On their final match of the first round against DLSU, high tensions on the field led to errors, which gave DLSU the advantage of an early run. This intensity only subsided in the sixth inning, when first-time UAAP player Matt Laurel broke the tie, paving the way to an 8-4 victory.
Round 2
It seemed to be a good start for the blue and white, after they decimated UP for the second time in the season via the mercy rule. What happened next was ultimately unexpected—the Blue Eagles suffered a frustrating loss against Adamson.
Laurel hit a three-run home run in the top of the sixth, giving Ateneo the upper hand, 11-5. In the innings that followed however, Ateneo’s normally strong defense seemed to have collapsed, as Adamson was able to retaliate with a two-run home run in the top of seventh. The game would end 14-11, in favor of the Falcons.
Unfazed, Ateneo marched on to face NU. Batters Gab Bagamasbad and Kirk Long were able to score two runs in the first inning, but this time, it was Ateneo’s offense that seemed to start going downhill.
“It was really good defense and bad offense,” says Bernardo about their 2-5 loss against NU. Bernardo also admits that the two losses served as a good wake-up call for the team, reminding them that although they are the team to beat, it is not quite impossible to do so.
After the two upsetting losses, the men’s team bounced back as they crushed last season’s champions UST in only five innings, 12-2 on February 9. Sophomore Andy Tan was on the mound, and rookie Dio Remollo behind the plate.
Brotherhood
Team spirit is an essential factor in any team victory. Relationships between members greatly affect performance. For the Blue Batters, this might just be the case behind their stellar performance—apart from the obvious rigorous trainings and workouts—particularly their 10-day training in Taiwan held last October.
“It’s like we’re brothers,” sophomore Chip Esguerra says. This brotherhood he shares has roots back to their grade school days, when some of these would-be Blue Batters had already been competing side by side and against each other in both local and international competitions. Reyes says it really helps that most of them have known each other for years, aiding their performance as teammates.
Sophomore and stand-out Adriane Bernardo shares, “We correct each other,” to which Esguerra adds, “Kahit nagkakagalitan, at the end of the day, we’re still buddies”.
While on the field, these boys constantly cheer for each other, even adding an inside joke or occasionally throwing in a cheesy boy band song to hype up a teammate on the verge of striking out. One of the athletes likes showing his support for his teammates by screaming words in Spanish. More often than not, it actually works.
Their team dynamic is ultimately admirable, something most teams desperately seek for. And it is exactly this dynamic that has been helping these boys deliver.
“Win together, lose together. That’s what brotherhood is all about,” says Esguerra.
