In an all-out battle of powering swings and stolen-bases, the Ateneo Baseball Team (ABT) turned victorious in their rematch against the Adamson University (AdU) Soaring Falcons, 19-11. The match was held earlier this afternoon at the University of the Philippines Diliman Baseball Field in Quezon City.
With their honorable display at the ballpark, the Blue Eagles augment their record to a 4-3 standing in the current University Athletics Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 86 Baseball Tournament.
At the onset of the ball-game, both teams’ pitchers staved off the opposing offenses to keep the game dead-lock. However, the Soaring Falcons eventually cracked Manuel Senador’s pitching, knocking in Runs-Batted-In (RBI) singles from Mark Montoya and John Tupig in the second inning, 2-0.
With their scanty lead, the Ermita-based unit turned on the breaks in the third inning, eventually securing an in-field home run from Aryln Bautista, 3-0. With added momentum on their side, fiery at-bats from Adamson ended the accursed half with a whopping 9-0 lead.
Nevertheless, the Blue Eagles showed their resolve in the bottom of the third, salvaging an abundance of runs against submarine pitcher Dan Bacalla. With Dax Fabella hitting a line drive to the outfield, Atenean skipper Enzo Montemayor grabbed the first run for the Blue Eagles, 9-1. In search of more runs, the Blue Eagles served a constant reign of base-hits, ending the side with the deficit cut to just two in the blink of an eye 7-9.
Moving to the 4-5-6 innings, the defensive outings from the contesting pairs kept the scoring to a minimum. In the fifth and sixth, Adamson chalked up two runs from base hits from Montoya and John Matanguihan, 11-7. Nonetheless, the Blue Eagles retorted with a Geof Magasadia run to keep in step, 8-11.
Having their honor on the line, the Blue Eagles drove the battle anew, driving in liners and walks to commit a bases-loaded situation for Montemayor. As the team captain stepped up to the plate, the crucial slugger knocked in a deep drive to the center-field gap, bringing in the tying RBI, 11-11. Now in search of the lead, resounding hits from Ethan Mitscheiner and Javi Limpo put the scoring to a 16-11 lead.
Following the remaining innings, Ateneo kept their hot time at-bat as Matt San Juan secured a double RBI and run on the diamond, 19-11. Meanwhile, closing pitcher Gab Francisco dialed in to slam the door on the electric battle 19-11.
With a clutch performance from Montemayor, the ardent leader retorted that the hustle displayed on the ballpark is a testament to the ABT’s philosophy for the game. ‘They had us in the first half not going to lie, […] but one thing we want to emphasize is being able to come back when we’re down,” the short-stop shared.
The Atenean side hopes to retain their triumphant command as they go up against University of Santo Tomas Golden Sox on Thursday, March 21, at 8:00 AM at the same venue.
Inning Scores:
Adamson: 0 2 7 1 1 0 0 0 0 – 11
Ateneo: 0 0 7 0 1 0 8 3 x – 19
Standings (W/L)
UST Golden Sox (3-1)
DLSU Green Batters (3-2)
NU Batters (3-2)
ATENEO Blue Eagles (4-3)
UP Fighting Maroons (1-3)
AdU Soaring Falcons (1-4)
