THE ATENEO Blue Eagles dropped a crucial match against the Adamson University (AdU) Soaring Falcons, going down 3-4 in their second-round meeting in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 80 Baseball tournament on Wednesday, February 28, at the Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium in Manila.

With both squads in a tug-of-war for the second seed behind De La Salle University (DLSU), the duel served as a go-ahead match between the two sides entering the last two games of the second round. Missing several of their usual starters, the Blue Eagles aimed to take control of the game early on, but ultimately crumbled under the pressure and missed out on some crucial opportunities that could have changed the tone of the ball game.

Shortstop Kiko Andaya drew first blood and got the ball rolling for Ateneo at the top of the second. Starting the match in place of an injured Dan Laurel, the infielder broke the deadlock, slamming a screamer over the leftfield wall for the first run of the game and the first homerun of his career.

Looking to add a few more runs of leverage, the bottom of the Ateneo batting order stepped on the gas, with a hot grounder from Gio Salvatierra and a deep flyball from Enzo Orbeta putting runners on first and third. A cleverly-timed steal from Salvatierra forced a throw from catcher to second base, which then sent Enrico Untalan sliding home for the score to make it a 2-0 game.

The runners left on base attempted to replicate the same sequence mere moments later, but the Adamson infield managed to read the situation and end the threat. An attempted steal from Marquis Alindogan gave Salvatierra the green light to run home, but hesitancy from the first baseman gave catcher Manaig enough time to make the tag for the third away.

The Blue Eagles gained another run of safety, courtesy of patience at the plate from designated hitter Ryan Hilario. The slugger connected a huge drive over the rightfield wall to make it 3-0 on the board, which would be the last run the team would score for the rest of the match.

Adamson undid much of the damage half an inning later, exploiting several lapses on the Ateneo defense to pull two runs back. Shortstop Castillo sparked the rally with a single into leftfield, and leadoff Bosito followed suit with a triple into centerfield to clear the bases and get AdU on the scoreboard.

Following a walk on Maigue, Jerome Yenson fired a hard shot to Kiko Andaya, who made the catch and attempted to beat the runner back to first, which then gave Bosito the green light to sprint home. A miscue from Salvatierra, however, granted Bosito a huge window of safety, which the runner converted to make it a 3-2 ball game.

Adamson’s aggressiveness from the plate caused further problems from Ateneo at the bottom of the fifth, where the Soaring Falcons finally knotted the scoreline. Bosito found his way to first after knocking a grounder towards Salvatierra and beating the baseman to the bag, which infuriated the Ateneo coaching staff who heavily protested the umpire’s call.

As tensions cooled down, Bosito eventually jumped second and third to get on scoring position, setting the stage for Yenson to tie the game. The AdU first baseman connected a roller to Alindogan, who then combined with Salvatierra to get the force out, but a mistimed play from baseman to catcher blessed Bosito with an unprotected plate to tie the game at three-apiece.

An inability to convert from either side kept the game locked until the bottom of the seventh, where the same cast of characters made all the difference in the game’s climactic chapters. Castillo rolled a grounder past the infield to put the go-ahead run on base, and advanced to third off a sacrifice bunt from Bosito and a grounder from Maigue.

With two outs, Yenson executed the game-changer and fired a drive between short and third to send Castillo home for the score, giving Adamson the lead for the first time all game, 3-4. Having turned the tables completely, the Soaring Falcons held the Blue Eagles scoreless for the last two innings, beating the defending champions for the second time this season to bump Ateneo down the tables in the run for the finals.

The loss lowers Ateneo’s standing to third place with a 5-3 win-loss record, severely endangering the Blue Eagles’ bid for a finals slot. The UAAP Baseball tournament enters the last two matches of the elimination round, with the Blue Eagles next playing a top-ranked DLSU Green Archers on Sunday, March 4.