THE ATENEO Men’s Baseball Team (2-2) dropped their second consecutive game in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 85 Baseball Tournament after losing to the Adamson University Soaring Falcons, 3-15. The game was held earlier today at the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman Baseball Field.
Right from the get-go, Adamson’s hitters put the pressure on the Ateneo starter Ethan Mitschiener, beginning with a Run-Batted-In (RBI) double by Raymond Nerosa in the bottom of the first inning for the early lead, 1-0. The Blue Eagles attempted to counter in the top of the second inning by getting men on base, however, the Adamson fielders found a hole to get out of the inning without a scratch.
The threat loomed large for Mitschiener in the bottom of the second, putting three men on before allowing two straight flyouts to cap off a scoreless frame for his squad. The Blue and White strung together good at-bats in the top of the third but was foiled once again after terrific fielding from the Adamson infielders forced a double play to prevent the runners from coming home.
The floodgates opened for Adamson in the bottom of the third as they nabbed 10 hits in one inning, with eight of them yielding runs to cross home. Relying on small ball, the Soaring Falcons were able to bring home those 10 runs without the need to go for the home run hit, 11-0. During the inning, the Ateneo manager made three pitching changes in line with this development, capping off the rough day for Mitschiener.
Ateneo’s Pablo Capati and Joshua De Juras gave the Blue Eagles their first two runs on the board to avoid the shutout and put the potentially insurmountable deficit back to single digits, 11-2. Adamson, however, answered quickly, driving in four runs in the bottom of the fourth to make it a 13-run affair, 15-2.
After getting no-hit in the fifth inning, Ateneo’s Nathan Visaya cut into the lead in the sixth frame with an RBI single to send home Capati, 15-3, for the final run of the match. The ballgame ended early in the seventh inning with the mercy rule taken into effect, as the Blue Eagles were handed their second loss of the season.
The Blue Eagles will aim to snap their losing skid as they face fabled rivals, the De La Salle University Green Batters, on Sunday, March 26, at 11:30 AM at the same venue.
