COMING OFF a win in their opening game against host school University of Santo Tomas, the Ateneo Blue Eagles continued their run in the Baseball tournament of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 79 with another victory over National University (NU) on Wednesday, February 8 at the Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium.
Relentless offense and defense merited the key to efficiency on the diamond, as the team held the Bulldogs near scoreless, with brothers Paulo and Javi Macasaet leading the charge for the Blue and White throughout the match.
Both teams started off scoreless, failing to capitalize off opportunities at the plate until designated hitter Ryan Hilario knocked a screamer out of the park at the bottom of the third inning to break the deadlock and put the Blue and White on the scoreboard. Hilario’s one-run solo shot opened the floodgates, as third baseman Javi Macasaet followed with a 2-RBI double that sent Marco Mallari and Marquis Alindogan home for two more runs.
Down 3-0 at the top of the fifth, NU leftfielder Alfredo de Guzman attempted to rally the Bulldogs back with a triple and a steal at home, pulling his team back one run to cut the deficit to a two-run lead. De Guzman’s run, however, would be the Bulldogs’ last breath of life as the Blue Eagles led an offensive charge to put the game away.
The bottom of the fifth saw Javi Macasaet slam another single that scored Alindogan, with Macasaet then tallying a run for himself off a hit from Gino Tantuico. Another three-run rally at the bottom of the seventh inning widened the gap in Ateneo’s favor, with Mallari, Tantuico, and Macasaet making it home to bring the score to 9-1.
Javi Macasaet would then claim responsibility for the Eagles’ final run of the game at the bottom of the eighth, hitting another 1-RBI single that brought substitute Rapho Balagtas home to bring the score to 10-1. Macasaet finished the match with four hits and four RBIs, improving his batting record from the previous game.
While playing the field, the Blue Eagles crushed the Bulldogs with suffocating defense from the mound as Paulo Macasaet continued to display solid form this season. The veteran pitcher collected eight strikeouts to keep the Bulldogs at bay, allowing four runs in eight innings before rookie Miggy Angeles took over pitcher duties at the top of the ninth, knocking in a strikeout of his own to finish the game.
With the Blue Eagles putting up another solid team performance, head coach Randy Dizer praised both the skill of his players and the depth of the bench but stressed the importance of consistency on the field.
“Anyone we get from the bench will deliver, so they have to fight for that position,” shares Dizer, “For them to get that playing time, they have to deliver every time they’re given the chance.”
The Blue Eagles tally a second win in two games, maintaining a perfect record so far this season. The team next face the University of the Philippines (UP) on Sunday, February 12.
Macasaetbrothers lead the way at Blue Eagles second victory over NU Bulldogs.
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