IT HAPPENED all too quickly. On January 10, at the Rizal Memorial, UST’s Johann Teves takes off from first base as he tries to steal second. The throw from the catcher is perfect to second baseman Carlos Banzon to tag the runner out.
But Teves slides into Banzon’s shin lifting him off the ground momentarily as the Ateneo captain grimaced in pain. Perhaps this out in the 8th inning, despite a close contest, cost the Blue Batters too much.
If that afternoon had not taken a lot from the Blue Batters, the 10-9 loss to the UST Tigers certainly didn’t help their cause. The uphill climb for the Blue Batters just got a little steeper.
Behind in the count
“Alam mo yung karayom (Do you know what a needle is)?,” said one of the Ateneo coaches as he demonstrated squeezing string through a needle, describing his team’s chances before the season started.
In previous years, problems like pitching kept the Blue Batters from attaining the crown. But after last year’s impressive finish, they finally looked like a team on the rise.
But with Banzon out and Kirk Long still abroad for the game against the University of the Philippines on January 14, the odds seemed multiplied against them.
Banzon’s absence was felt instantly as Blue Batters struggled against the Maroons in the early going off the ballgame. UP hit them for eight runs in the first three innings and kept Ateneo at bay on the offensive end.
“Nanibago yung mga players with their new positions (The players felt awkward with their new positions),” a crippled Banzon said from the dugout.
Errors such as wild throws that allowed runners to advance ballooned the score to 11-1 in the 5th inning as the 10-run mercy rule was applied to give the Maroons the victory.
Thrown to the dogs
It was an early 7:30 am ballgame for the Blue Batters. Now with the team looking forward, they hope the sunrise just an hour before would symbolize a new beginning for the team.
Having a strong hitter in Kirk Long back from the States definitely couldn’t have come at a better time, especially with an upstart NU Bulldogs in the opposite dugout.
The Ateneo bats led by Kirk Long, Paolo Castillo and Gabriel Magamasbad gave them an early 3-1 lead in the second inning. The Blue Batters once again relied on their strengths to keep themselves in the game.
But the Bulldogs once again exposed Ateneo weaknesses in pitching, errors and personnel. NU scored 7 runs and the Ateneo bats fell silent to give the Blue Batters their 3rd straight loss.
Veteran Alex Tolome knows what this team is capable of and knows the season is far from over. He knows it’s about getting the swagger back to be the force they were last year. “The team is still strong. We just need a morale boost,” said Tolome.
The enemy within
While the Blue Batters are dealing with external elements, the Lady Batters are their own greatest opponent. “It’s about consistency, when they play bad one game they just bounce back the next,” said Coach Ulysses Mejia.
In the pregame huddle of their opening salvo against UST on January 16 at the UST Open Field, Mejia told his team this game will be their gauge for the season. It would be a season of one pitch at a time, with the Final Four in mind. It was a season full of hope and optimism.
But suddenly after a tight game tied at 1-1 in the 3rd inning, UST hits a home run bringing home several runners. UST never looked back as Ateneo seemed rattled with the game finally ending 9-1 in the Tigresses’ favor.
“That’s been our problem ever since, once we commit an error and let a run in, everything else follows,” said Marianna Vargas.
After a solemn team picture, the Lady Batters walked of the UST field with their heads down in an emotional post game huddle. None of them expected the game to end the way it did.
Mejia told his team in the opening huddle that this game would be the gauge for their season, something co-captain Krissy Drilon disagreed with. “It’s all about bouncing back and knowing how to respond.”
Shock and awe
The Lady Batters approached their next game with confidence. Despite Adamson’s domination last season, they have always had close games going up against them.
But the top of the first inning saw three quick outs for Ateneo and things didn’t look positive. Quick successive hits were struck by Adamson to give them an early 3-0 lead. It was an all too familiar plot, of a story that wasn’t supposed to happen.
Unexpectedly freshman pitcher Amanda La’o gave the Lady Batters hope by scoring a home run. She was mobbed by her teammates at home plate as they rallied each other on to make a strong comeback.
Unfortunately that would be Ateneo’s last significant hit of the day as the floodgates opened once again. Before everyone knew it, it was 11-1 in the bottom of the 4th, and the game was given to Adamson via the 10-run mercy rule.
But it was the only the victors who had left the field that afternoon. The Lady Batters’ coaching staff put the team through drills and training right after the game on the UST field.
“We have to train every day. We peaked in training from June till November and we lost it all during the Christmas break,” said Mejia obviously frustrated from his team’s lack of quality play.
Hitting their stride
Now with their season on the brink, the Lady Batters knew what they were up against. Facing an undefeated UE squad on January 16, if they were to bounce back, it was now or never.
But the Lady Batters looked lost early on as they struggled to connect with their bats as they found themselves down for more than half of the game. It gave reason to doubt the potential the team had inside.
Suddenly several runs highlighted by another home run by Amanda La’o gave the Lady batters the lead. It was all up to their defense to put up a stand.
This was when pitcher Ina Yulo was called up to take the mound. She had struggled in the previous games constantly giving up runs, but like the rest of the Lady Batters, this was a different player pitching.
She dominated on the mound, barely allowing any scoring threat to secure the 5-3 and the Lady Batter’s first win of the season.
