STRUGGLING TO overcome their Taft counterpart, the Ateneo Blue Eagles fell to the De La Salle University (DLSU) Lady Batters, 0-11, in their second-round match of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Softball Tournament. The game was held earlier today, March 17, at the Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium in the City of Manila.

After another tough loss, the Ateneo Softball Team (AST) stands with a 0-6 win-loss record that keeps them at the bottom of the tournament’s standings.

Despite the result, Zyrah De Guzman remained a bright spot for the Blue Eagles as the lone batter to deliver a hit, getting two off the Lady Batters. 

Unable to find their groove at the start of the game, Ateneo struggled to get batters on base, rendering them scoreless at the end of the inning. Their misfortunes boiled into the other end of the frame as the miscommunication on the diamond resulted in the Lady Batters scoring three runs, 0-3.

The Katipunan-based squad’s offense stretched once more at the top of the second, failing to bring any of their batters home. Ateneo found hope at the bottom of the inning, holding DLSU to only a single run, 0-4.

As the deficit stood at four, the Blue Eagles’ hitting struggles continued into the third inning. The bottom half of the frame spelt trouble for the Blue and White as they allowed the Lady Batters to blast in seven unanswered runs that put the game in jeopardy, 0-11.

With the Loyola Heights team in danger of surrendering to a mercy rule, Ateneo adopted a more aggressive offense. The strategy ultimately failed for the Blue and White, however, as DLSU’s Joergette Jordan recorded two strikeouts to send the game away, 0-11.

The AST’s season-long search for their first victory continues against the Adamson University (AdU) Lady Falcons on Saturday, March 21, at 9:00 AM in the same venue.

The Lines: 

Ateneo (0): 0 0 0 0 x x x – 0 2 2

DLSU (11): 3 1 7 x x x x – 11 10 1

Current Standings (W-L):

1. ATENEO Blue Eagles (0-6)
2. UST Tiger Softbelles (4-1)
3. AdU Lady Falcons (4-1)
4. UP Fighting Maroons (4-2)
5. DLSU Lady Batters (2-4)