THE ATENEO Blue Eagles suffered a season sweep at the hands of defending champions Adamson University (AdU) Lady Falcons after getting inflicted with the mercy rule in the fourth inning, 0-10. Occurring earlier today, the Battle of the Skies was held at the University of the Philippines Baseball Field.
This loss puts the Blue Eagles at a 1-6 win-loss standing during the second robin of the elimination rounds in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 86 Softball Tournament.
Commencing the match was Rocio Macasaet at-bat for the top of the first inning, starting the contest with a ground ball that quickly got her out. Following this was Raya Franco getting called for a strike out courtesy of AdU pitcher Glory Alonzo’s heater. Third batter Julia Carsi Cruz also hit a ground ball, concluding their half on an out for an early 1-2-3 inning.
Transitioning from fielding to batting, Lady Falcon Angelli Gabriel hit the ball to center field to gain a double, landing on second base. Afterward, Maryjoy Maguap followed with an at-bat that sent Gabriel to third base despite submitting to a tag out. Shifting to Roma Cruz batting, a fielding error in the shortstop area allowed Gabriel to arrive home, 1-0, with Cruz reaching first. Remilie Herrero and Alaiza Talisik had the bases loaded after a hit and walk respectively, then a ground ball by Nedmay Mahinay had Cruz and Herrero reaching home plate. Finally, fly outs on Jane Sigue and Aliza Pichon ended the first inning, 3-0.
As Team Captain Alia Tuprio began the at-bat for the second inning, a foul hit caught by Mahinay resulted in the first out of the inning. Rochelle Dacutan went for the at-bat afterward but fell prey to a swift fly out by the Lady Falcons. Following suit, Kyle Mejillano struck the ball toward the left field, but a fly out exhibited the fielding prowess of the Ermita-based squad to signal their hand at the bat. Madalene Domalig hit a single, then arrived at home after Gabriel hit the ball to center field to settle on third base. Maguap then smashed a triple, allowing Gabriel to add a second run from the canto to the board, 5-0.
Adamson’s Cruz aptly angled the ball toward the center field wall for a run-batted-in (RBI) by having Maguap reach home, while Talisik went for right field to earn their seventh run of the match from Cruz. Shortly after, Talisik and Mahinay—who took off from second and first base respectively—collected two more runs while Pichon held the bat, highlighting the lapses in the Blue Eagles’ fielding strategies. Closing the inning was an eventual strike out on Domalig by starting pitcher Jesa Daquigan to cut off the Lady Falcons’ lead at 9-0.
With the third inning underway, Asya Tuprio went for a walk after a change of pitcher from Adamson, countering an early fly out from Martina Nacion. Despite this renewed vigor, strike outs on Bernice Yap and Macasaet once again found the Blue and White runless, returning to their fielding positions. Pitching instead was then transferred to Alia Tuprio while Gabriel stood at-bat, getting a center field fly out thanks to Macasaet’s excellent fielding intellect.
Aiming to avenge her co-batter, Maguap bursted with a triple after a fielding miscue by Dacutan caused gravely for the Blue and White. Furthermore, despite Franco catching a fly out on Cruz, Maguap mustered in their tenth run after Herrero’s RBI, proving too distant for the Blue Eagles to field. Alia Tuprio then incurred another fielding mishap on Talisik’s ground ball, but immediately recuperated with a fly out on Mahinay.
Holding on to the hope of a run, the fourth inning initiated with a strike out on Yap to set the tone for the Blue Eagles. Following up on the rookie was Carsi Cruz who, despite getting contact on the ball, suffered an out. With Alia Tuprio at-bat, the Lady Falcons displayed their championship experience as a strike out produced another runless match for the Blue and White, 0-10.
At the conclusion of the contest, assistant coach Joy Lasquite acknowledged the Blue Eagles’ strive and the Lady Falcon’s prowess. “The girls did their best, and it’s hard when [the] pitcher is down. They fought well, they played well, but we couldn’t defend the strong hits of Adamson,” the Blue Eagles head coach expressed.
The Ateneo Softball Team now focuses on striking back when they play against the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons on April 3, Wednesday, at 3:00 PM in the same venue.
Editor’s Note: Alia Tuprio is the Broadcast News Editor of The GUIDON.
Inning scores:
ADMU: 0-0-0-0
AdU: 3-6-1-x
Current Standings (W-L)
- AdU Lady Falcons (6-0)
- UST Tiger Softbelles (5-1)
- UP Fighting Maroons (3-3)
- DLSU Lady Batters (1-6)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (1-6)
