THE ATENEO Lady Eagles struggle with both hitting and fielding, as they fell to the University of the East (UE) Lady Warriors via mercy rule, 10-0. Ateneo managed only 2 hits in a rough 5th inning loss that brought the team’s record to 1-8.
The Lady Warriors did most of their damage in a 6-run third inning that saw them deploy 10 total batters. The first 3 of these runs came on a couple of mishandled catches— one on a rocket back to the mound by Senangote and two on a Quintos groundball towards short.
The latter 3 runs came after Rookie Kevyn Lacson replaced Captain Ira Nevalga on the mound for Ateneo. With the bases loaded, UE’s leadoff hitter Blanco knocked a long ball to left field just past Clarisse Dacanay for a 3 RBI triple.
UE’s other runs came separately, with one in the 1st inning and another 3 in the 5th. The early run came on a Niloban sacrifice fly that brought leadoff hitter Blanco home.
In the fifth, the Red and White side got 2 runs on a Jaspe groundball, that escaped through the legs of Shortstop Kaira Ventosa. The final run was on a Niloban flyball that fell out of Left Fielder Noelle Dela Cruz’s glove just past the infield.
The Lady Eagles’ offense was nowhere to be found, as they went scoreless for just the second time this season, with their 2 hits also being a season-low. Even more disappointing was the shoutout occurred against the team they defeated in Round 1, a game in which they scored their season-high of 6 runs.
“Sinasabi pa rin namin sa kanila na continuous play lang. Believe lang dapat sila sa sarili nila. Maglaro lang nang maayos. Once na maglaro sila nang maayos, susunod-sunod na pati yung hitting nila, pati yung fielding nila. (We’re still telling them to just keep playing. They have to keep believing in themselves. They have to play the right way. Once they play the right way, it will all come around even their hitting and fielding.),” Coach Dione Macasu said postgame of the team’s outlook moving into their final three contests.
The next match for Ateneo is against Adamson, who as of writing, are tied with National University atop the standings. That match will be in the Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium on Monday, February 27 at 11AM.
https://storify.com/TheGUIDONSports/uaap-season-79-softball-ateneo-vs
