THE ATENEO Lady Eagles lost against the University of the East (UE) Lady Warriors via mercy rule, 1-10 in the bottom of the sixth inning on Monday, February 8 at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Malate.
Rookie catcher Chesca Imperial’s play was a bright spot during the game, with a triple to deep left field in the bottom of the second inning putting her in scoring position. A wild pitch from UE pitcher Elvie Senangote then allowed Imperial to cross home plate for the Ateneo’s only run of the day.
The Katipunan-based squad had another chance to score earlier in the game, when Team Captain Angela Natividad led off the bottom of the first inning with a single to left center field. Starting first baseman Nicki Borromeo got the sacrifice bunt to go, moving Natividad to second base. Another wild pitch from Senangote allowed Natividad to go to third base, but that was as far as she would go, as starting shortstop Ira Nevalga hit a pop up to end the inning.
This loss puts the Lady Eagles at 0-4 in the elimination round standings of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Softball tournament.
Closed doors
Long after the conclusion of the game, the Lady Eagles stayed behind and held a team-only meeting on the field.
Natividad elaborated that the meeting was to put the rest of the season in perspective. The team has fallen to 0-4 in the softball tournament standings, with three of those losses coming via mercy rule–not ideal for a young team looking to start out strong.
“There are nine batters in the lineup,” she said, “[and] only a few people ever deliver. That’s our struggle.”
The lady batters have been preparing long and hard for this upcoming season. Aside from the various preseason tournaments over the Christmas break, Natividad estimates that the team trains around 300 days in a year, all in preparation for 12 tournament elimination games.
“I think it’s unavoidable for me to be a little disappointed, given that I can’t force myself to continue to tell them, ‘It’s okay, it’s okay.’ At this point, getting at this point of the competition, it’s not okay anymore,” she explained. “I have to be frank with the girls: I am disappointed. I am angry. But, that anger comes from a very good place. I’m only angry because I know we can do it.”
The Lady Eagles will have a chance to bounce back from this loss against the De La Salle University Lady Archers–who are also still winless to start the season–at 9:00 AM, Saturday, February 13 at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Malate.
