THE ATENEO Baseball Team keeps their winning streak alive after outplaying the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Golden Sox in a resounding 10-8 victory. The match was held earlier today at the University of the Philippines Diliman Baseball Field in Quezon City.
With a commendable performance on the field, the Blue Eagles rose to the top spot in the league with a 5-3 record in the ongoing University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 86 Baseball Tournament.
To seize control of the contest, the Blue Eagles took flight in the first inning with relentless determination. Behind Ateneo sluggers Matthew San Juan and Joaquin Mendoza’s deep line drives, the squad navigated their way to an early 3-0 lead. Fueled by Joshua De Juras’ pitching mastery on the mound, Ateneo kept the opposing offense at bay to close off the second inning.
In their bid to level the playing field, the Golden Sox capitalized on the Blue Eagles’ miscues to notch their initial runs and surge ahead in the third inning, 4-3. However, Ateneo rallied back with defensive tactics in the next two innings to stave off further scoring opportunities for UST.
Putting pressure on the Golden Sox’s defense, the Blue Eagles sought to tighten their grip and regain their momentum. Ignited by Geof Magsadia’s line drive triple, the Katipunan-based unit then began their offensive onslaught to take back the lead in the sixth, 6-4. Sustaining their momentum throughout the next two frames, the Blue and White were positioned with a comfortable six-point lead heading into the bottom of the ninth, 9-4.
In a last-ditch effort, the España-based squad quickly regrouped to trail closely behind their adversaries with four more additional runs to cut the deficit to two, 8-10. However, Zeke Laygo’s timely catch from the outfield dealt UST its final blow, securing the Blue and White’s advantage in the contest, 10-8.
The Blue Eagles will look to maintain their winning ways against the De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Batters this Sunday, March 24, at 8:00 AM in the same venue.
Inning Scores:
Ateneo: 3 0 0 0 0 3 1 2 1 — 10
UST: 0 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 — 8
Standings (W/L)
ATENEO Blue Eagles (5-3)
DLSU Green Batters (4-3)
NU Batters (4-3)
UST Golden Sox (4-4)
UP Fighting Maroons (3-4)
AdU Soaring Falcons (2-5)