THE ATENEO Blue Eagles defeated the University of the Philippines (UP) Fighting Maroons, 11-10 on Sunday, February 28 at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Malate, Manila.

With their previous meeting against UP ending in a 26-run blowout, the Blue Eagles sought to complete a perfect record against the squad in the second round of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 78 Baseball tournament.

The match opened with both teams neck and neck, until the Fighting Maroons sparked a five-run rally at the top of the fifth led by Mark Tuballas, who knocked in two RBIs and four hits off five at bats.

The Blue and White responded by scoring two runs, with big hitters Ryon Tionloc and Renzo Ramos leading the charge to make it a 6-4 game in UP’s favor. The defending champions eventually pulled away by the eighth inning, batting in six runs as opposed to UP’s one.

The ninth inning brought about a miracle for the Fighting Maroons however, as SJ San Juan and Jeremaiah Cinco exploited lapses in the Ateneo outfield to score three runs and tie the game at 10 at the top on the ninth inning. But blue batter Marco Mallari would play savior for the day, breaking the deadlock and eliminating UP’s hope for extra innings at the bottom of the ninth, sending a screamer into left center that scored Marquis Alindogan to put the game away with a final score of 11-10.

This win puts the Blue Eagles at 7-1 in the elimination round standings of the UAAP Season 78 Baseball tournament.

Their next game will be against the Adamson University Soaring Falcons, 7AM, Thursday, March 3 at the Rizal Memorial Stadium in Malate, Manila.

Updated 5:25 PM, February 28, 2016

https://storify.com/TheGUIDONSports/mallari-saves-the-day-for-the-blue-eagles