IN A shocking turn of events at the second round commencement of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 80 Baseball tournament, the Ateneo Blue Eagles dropped their second match of the season, 1-3, in a slow duel with a determined University of the Philippines (UP) squad on Wednesday, February 21, at the Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium in Manila.
A dry-spell at the plate was a symptom for disaster in the Blue Eagles’ first match of the second round, as the team tallied just four hits in nine innings, failing to keep up with the pace of the Fighting Maroons, who knocked in a total of twelve. With much of the momentum on their side, the Fighting Maroons dominated most of the match and wore out Ateneo with several well-placed drives, surviving a couple of scares to come away with their first win in 19 games as the dust settled.
Classy showings from Ateneo starting pitcher Luis Estacio and UP’s Kenneth Mariñas kept the opening jousts of the ball game dull, which left the diamond quiet until the bottom of the fourth. First baseman Roque Banzon shattered the silence with a booming hit past third base and managed to steal second off a mistimed play between catcher and shortstop. Hanson Landicho then capitalized on the opportunity, landing a single into shallow right-center that gave Banzon the green light to score the first run of the game.
The Fighting Maroons doubled their lead just one inning later, courtesy of heroics from leadoff Gabby Yang and shortstop Mark Tuballas. Yang found his way on base with a perfect shot into shallow leftfield, which prompted Ateneo to sub in relief pitcher Nacho Lozano for Estacio. Undaunted, Tuballas connected for a screamer into deep right-center, notching a triple that sent home Yang to make it 0-2 on the board.
The Blue Eagles responded at the top of the fifth, this time led by leadoff Radito Banzon. The outfielder breathed new life into the Ateneo bench after launching a rocket into deep leftfield for a double, and managed to advance to third off a groundout from Marco Mallari. A sacrifice fly to rightfield from Javi Macasaet then gave Banzon a narrow window, with the runner sliding home in the nick of time to make it a 1-2 game.
One run down, the Blue Eagles earned the golden opportunity to undo the previous innings’ mishaps and take the lead at the top of the seventh. Clever base-running from Dino Altomonte and Kiko Andaya put runners in scoring position at second and third, while an intentional walk on Enzo Orbeta loaded the bases for Paulo Macasaet with just one out. The substitute, however, failed to make the most out of the situation, returning a grounder to Mariñas, who then converted the force out at home and first base to quell the threat.
The bottom of the eighth put the Blue Eagles on the opposite side of the same dangerous predicament, with a double by Banzon, a single by Landicho, and a walk on Javie Lopez loading the bases. Needing just one more out to retire the side, Ateneo placed Miggy Angeles in to close the inning cleanly, but an eventual walk on J.Lirio blessed UP with an effortless run that made it a 1-3 game heading into the ninth.
Needing three runs to take the lead or at least two runs to force extra innings, the Blue Eagles rallied hard but were easily defeated at the top on the ninth. Mariñas concluded a solo performance with a three-batter take down in the game’s dying moments, and a catch from Emil Fernandez at right-field was the nail on the coffin that gave UP the win.
The Blue Eagles’ win-loss record drops to 4-2, bumping them down to second place alongside Adamson University (AdU), who share the same record. Ateneo will next face the National University (NU) Bulldogs on Sunday, February 25.
