THE ATENEO Baseball Team’s hopes of a comeback win are dashed as they struggle to reign in a fiercely-contested showdown against the Adamson University (AdU) Soaring Falcons, 8-9. The matchup was held earlier today at the University of the Philippines Diliman Baseball Field in Quezon City.
The Blue Eagles burst onto the scene in the first inning fueled by offensive maneuvers at the plate. Putting pressure on Adamson’s defense, Ateneo slugger Matthew San Juan then launched a double down the line, plating Francis Mendoza to bring the Blue and White up on the scoreboard, 1-0. However, Ateneo’s early advantage quickly faltered as a miscue behind the plate allowed Adamson to pull even in the bottom of the first, 1-1.
Ateneo then fought tooth and nail through the 2-3-4 innings but struggled to find a gap to extend their lead. Trailing 1-2 after the second frame, the Katipunan sluggers clawed for momentum in the third.
Ripping a scorching triple down the line, Enzo Montemayor set the squad in motion inside the diamond to open the third frame. San Juan then drove him home with a clutch grounder, bringing the scores back to a tie, 2-2.
However, Ateneo struggled to hold the scoreline as a string of errors allowed Adamson to score one more unearned run, 3-2. Despite this, the Blue Eagles managed to escape further damage by holding their ground to closely trail behind at the bottom fourth, 2-3.
The resurgent Katipunan-based squad carried their momentum into the fifth inning with a renewed sense of mettle. Looking to trim the deficit, Ateneo skipper Luis Capati then executed a perfectly placed bunt, with Alejandro Mendoza scoring to tie the game, 3-3.
Stepping up to the plate, Javi Limpo followed through with a knock that drove in San Juan, giving Ateneo back the lead at 4-3. However, Adamson refused to go down quietly, as a base hit put the scores at deadlock, 4-4.
The Blue and White continued their offensive onslaught in the sixth, turning the tide of the match to their advantage. Setting the offensive line, San Juan delivered a line drive that brought Casanova and Montemayor home, 6-4.
Limpo then followed with a well-executed sacrifice bunt that A. Mendoza scored, further pushing the lead to 7-4. San Juan then further fueled the squad’s momentum by scoring on a passed ball to take the commanding 8-4 lead to end the inning.
A defensive showcase in the seventh inning allowed Ateneo to cling on to their comfortable four-run lead. However, a costly error from the Blue Eagles gave way for the Soaring Falcons to breathe new life into their comeback attempt in the eighth inning, 7-8. Faced with a one-run deficit in the final frame, the Blue and White were unable to keep their lead intact after a walk-off hit by awarded Adamson the victory, 8-9.
Innings scores:
Ateneo-AdU: 1-1, 0-1, 1-1, 0-0, 2-1, 4-0, 0-0, 0-3, 0-2
Standings (W/L)
DLSU Green Batters (3-1)
UST Golden Sox (3-1)
ATENEO Blue Eagles (2-3)
AdU Soaring Falcons (2-3)
NU Batters (2-2)
UP Fighting Maroons (1-3)
