DESPITE SEEKING to end the first round of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Softball tournament on a high note, the Ateneo Blue Eagles were overwhelmed by current 10-peat titleholders Adamson University (AdU) Lady Falcons, 0-13. The game was held earlier this afternoon at the University of the Philippines Baseball Field in Diliman, Quezon City.
First to pitch in the ballgame were the Blue Eagles, who aimed to end a three-game skid and capture their first Season 86 victory. A lot of missed pitches in the zone by senior ace Julia Carsi Cruz resulted in multiple walks for the Lady Falcons. With traffic on the bases, the first run of the game would come at the hands of Adamson’s MJ Maguad, who brought Angelu Gabriel home for the first run of the matchup, 1-0.
The struggles persisted for the Blue and White once the second inning commenced, after Adamson’s Madaelene Domaug and Gabriel both brought home two more runs for the reigning UAAP Softball dynasty, 3-0.
Come the bottom of the second, Ateneo struggled to get on base as the batters quickly struck out during their at-bats. This slump led to another shutdown inning for the Lady Falcons though two cantos.
Looking to bounce back, the Blue Eagles mounted a defensive masterclass at the top of the third after Rachelle Dacutan made key plays from left field to take out two Adamson batters during the inning. However, Dacutan’s fielding efforts went for naught as Adamson’s Mahinay’s Run Batted-In (RBI) hit would bring Remilie Herrero home, 4-0.
Now on the offensive end, Ateneo sought to get some runs on the board. However, Adamson’s April Minanga took care of business against the Blue Eagle bats, putting together a lockdown 1-2-3 inning for the Lady Falcons to keep the shutout intact.
Highlighted by Domaug’s three-run bomb, Adamson then sealed the deal at the top of the fourth frame after bringing nine more runs to the plate, 13-0.
Hoping for one last gasp to keep the game alive, Ateneo found themselves with another opportunity to put some runs on the board. However, without much damage done, the Blue Eagles fell in just four innings thanks to the mercy rule, 13-0.
Despite the loss, Cruz remained optimistic about the second round games that will follow.
“We can do better on the second round, especially since we already learned from the first,” she said.
A schedule for the second-round games of the Season 86 Softball Tournament are yet to be announced.
Inning Scores:AdU-Ateneo: 1-0, 2-0, 1-0, 9-0, x-x, x-x, x-x
Current Standings (W/L)
- AdU Lady Falcons (3-0)
- UP Fighting Maroons (2-0)
- UST Tiger Softbelles (1-1)
- DLSU Lady Batters (1-2)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (0-4)
