Pitted against the title-holders of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Softball tournament for the past six years, the Lady Eagles suffered their fourth loss in the second-round of the season against the Adamson University (AdU) Lady Falcons, going 11-2 against the defending champions on Monday, February 27 at the Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium.
Grit and resilience on base served as Ateneo’s lifeline early in the game, as the team clung within striking distance at a three-run disadvantage, but fielding errors proved to be a recipe for disaster, as AdU eventually pulled away to invoke the mercy rule and take the win by the bottom of the fifth.
The defending champions lost no time in earning the first runs of the match at the top of the first. First baseman Pabiania connecting at the plate for a double that sent her teammate Calumbres home to draw first blood against Ateneo’s Kevyn Lacson on the mound. Numerous errors from both infielder and outfielder foretold signs of jittery defense, as a drop at rightfield opened the avenue for Lamata to make it home for a run of her own, putting the Lady Falcons ahead at (2-0).
The Lady Eagles, however, lost no time in responding to the aggressive offensive threat, scoring one run from their first three batters to keep stay hot on opposition’s heels. Leadoff Ira Nevalga swung at the first pitch she saw, driving a solid double into centerfield for the Lady Eagles’ first hit of the game. Nicki Borromeo then placed a perfect bunt to advance Nevalga to third and land safely on first base, setting the stage for Yla Trinidad to put Ateneo on the scoreboard. Trinidad then managed to make contact, popping one behind the infield to send home Nevalga and bring the score to (2-1).
Ahead by a run at the top of the second, AdU added further damage from the plate at the top of the second, with leadoff and outfielder Adorable leading the charge to stack up a four-run lead. With Pasadas and Cantor on first and third base, a throw from catcher to second resulted in some miscommunication between infielders, then allowing both runners to make it home for another two runs. Adorable followed up with a leftfield triple, and a linedrive from Urbania eventually brought the leadoff home for the third run of the team’s second at bat, leaving Ateneo in the dust at (5-1).
Going silent from the Ateneo dugout, the Lady Eagles built up their momentum in the third, rallying back to give the Lady Falcons a scare from both the field and the plate. Nevalga displayed tenacity and composure at shortstop, holding down the fort to assist Lacson in silencing the Adamson batters at the top of the third. With the game swaying in Ateneo’s favor, the Lady Eagles kept up the pace at the bottom of the third, cutting back another run to inch closer and change the tide. With Nicki Borromeo on first base, outfielder Kat Villa-Real launched a screamer into far rightfield, notching a 1-RBI triple to bring the score to (5-2).
Villa-Real’s heroics, however, would be the team’s last ray of hope in the game, as an onslaught of errors throughout the succeeding innings eventually put Adamson in the clear. The top of the fourth saw the Lady Falcons extend the lead to a (7-2) ballgame, with AdU’s Benabaye gaining scoring position off throwing errors and Calumbres making it home off another double from Pabiania.
Adamson remained relentless in their race towards the finish, terrorizing the Ateneo infield and outfield with hits that forced numerous crucial errors at the top of the fifth inning. Led by the top of the Lady Falcons batting order, AdU punched in four more runs to bring the score to (11-2), invoking mercy rule to force the Lady Eagles into a do-or-die scoring situation. Unable to convert hits into runs at the bottom of the fifth inning, a deep shot into centerfield from substitute Abby Gutierrez was then caught by the AdU outfield for the final out of the match, ending the game at (11-2) via mercy rule.
With the Lady Eagles managing to connect at the plate to get runners on base, the tale of the tape at the end of the game was the team’s inability to deliver on the defensive side of the ballgame. Head coach Randy Dizer maintained that the lackluster defense was a vital hindrance standing in the way of the team’s chances at victory.
“We can’t expect our pitchers to strikeout everybody,” says Dizer. “We know that everybody will be able to hit, but the question is will we be able to hold them on defense.”
The Lady Eagles next play host school University of Santo Tomas (UST) on Thursday, March 2, for their penultimate game of the season. Currently standing at a 1-9 win-loss record, the team’s chances of making the top four are contingent on essential wins in the final two games, which would then force a three-way tie between De La Salle University (DLSU) and the University of the Philippines (UP), depending on the results of their next two games as well.
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