AFTER SHUTTING out the Adamson Falcons 12-0 in their last game, the Ateneo Blue Batters won their second game in a row as they beat the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Growling Tigers, 14-4. This victory solidifies Ateneo’s second place spot below De La Salle University with a win-loss record of 6-2.
The Blue Batters were declared the victors after only seven innings of play by way of the mercy rule. The Ateneo scored 12 of 14 runs in the final three innings of play as UST’s defense found itself unable to keep up with the aggressive Ateneo offense.
The Tigers were the first team to draw blood, as consecutive errors in the Ateneo’s infield allowed them to score a run early during the second inning. The Blue Batters, however, evened out the ballgame at the bottom of the same inning. Veteran Matt Laurel scored his second home run for the season deep into the left field in the bottom of the second, putting the Ateneo in the lead for good.
Despite having scored three runs in the top of the sixth, UST found itself facing a six point deficit coming into the seventh inning of play. The Ateneo’s biggest inning came in the bottom of the sixth as the Blue Batters found themselves scoring five runs to decisively pull away from the Growling Tigers.
The Blue Batters held UST scoreless for the rest of the game, and they secured the victory by scoring another four runs in the bottom of the last inning. It was pinch hitter Luis Puno’s double that landed perfectly into left-center field that sent Laurel home, ending the almost three hour game.
Laurel led the way with four runs-batted-in and a homerun. Starting pitcher Andy Tan had a strong outing himself, as he manned the mound for a total of six innings while allowing only four walks and striking out four as well. Rookie Nacho Cojuanco closed the game out for the Ateneo as he retired two and struck out one at the top of the seventh.
“I think the team is finally gelling together and we’re actually stringing in some hits and the line-up is pretty complete now. Everyone [in the batting order] is hitting,” Laurel said when asked about both his individual performance and that of the teams.
“Everyone tries to do his or her part so everyone is more focused on the team effort than the individual effort,” he added.
The Ateneo will next face the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons on Thursday, February 6 at the Rizal Memorial Baseball Field at 10 AM. This will be the Blue Batters’ second to the last game for the elimination round.
