THE YOUNG, rookie-laden Ateneo Lady Eagles softball team were unable to overcome the experienced University of the Philippines (UP) Lady Maroons, as the game ended via mercy rule in the bottom of the fourth inning with a final score of 0-11 on Saturday, January 30 at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Malate, Manila.
The team went with veteran pitcher Nicki Borromeo on the mound and rookie catcher Chesca Imperial behind the plate early on, and the results were initially promising. Borromeo was able to force outs via fly balls, with UP stranding a runner to end the top of the first inning. However, the Ateneo was unable to take advantage, stranding their own runner to end the bottom of the first inning.
The Lady Maroons then went on attack mode at the start of the second inning. After UP’s Chantal Bongat flied out to left center field, hits from Ingrid Dela Cruz, Mary Joy Abanes, and Marric Cris Cabriana left the bases loaded for Rose Alinsod. The shortstop showed patience at bat, drawing a walk, and driving in Dela Cruz for the Lady Maroons’ first run.
Consecutive hits by Angela Penales, Gabriela Paz, Danielle Cruz, and Juliet Omul, along with miscommunication errors on the part of the Ateneo, drove in six more runs for UP. With the score then at 0-7, Ateneo called in rookie pitcher Clariele Dacanay to help stop the bleeding. The Lady Eagle gave up just one more run before ending the inning off the Dela Cruz ground ball.
Dacanay would then continue her impressive pitching in the third inning. She gave up a hit to Cabriana but recovered well with the help of rookie second baseman Samantha Baterina–who caught a looping fly ball from the bat of Alinsod–then threw out Cabriana at first base. Dacanay eventually ended the inning 1-2-3 via a Penales groundout.
At the bottom of the third inning, hits from Baterina and Team Co-Captain Angela Natividad gave the Ateneo two runners in scoring position. However, a ground ball from Borromeo and an Imperial strikeout left two runners stranded on base to end the inning.
The Blue and White gave up three more runs at the top of the fourth inning, but not before Dacanay pitched her way to the Ateneo’s first strikeout of the day. Rookie pitcher Kaira Ventosa would then eventually come in for Dacanay to close out the inning.
The Lady Eagles had one more chance to break through in the game at the bottom of the fourth inning, with rookie third baseman Yla Trinidad getting on base via hit-by-pitch. However, outfielders Bea Parma and Kat Villareal were both called out, effectively ending the game.
After the match, Natividad was wary of the team’s recurring tendency to commit consecutive errors in-game. “Our team, for as long as I can remember, from all the tournaments we’ve joined, the errors always come one after the other,” she said. “It’s like a domino effect, which is bad. We just talked about cutting all those errors off. It’s the first game, so we’re hoping that after this game, wala na.”
This loss puts the Lady Eagles at a 0-1 record in the elimination round standings of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines softball tournament. The team, however, will have a chance to bounce back from this loss, with their next game coming against the National University Lady Bulldogs at 11AM on Monday, February 1 at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Malate, Manila.
https://storify.com/TheGUIDONSports/lady-eagles-fall-to-the-university-of-the-philippi
