THE ATENEO Softball Team endured yet another loss in their University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 88 Softball campaign after falling to reigning champions Adamson University (AdU) Lady Falcons, 0-25. The match was held earlier today at the Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium in the City of Manila.
The Blue Eagles rolled out a steady defensive unit against the Lady Falcons, with Kat Ditchon taking charge at shortstop and Czelle Basa guarding the hot corner. Ashlee Tuprio got the nod in the circle, supported by Zyrah De Guzman behind the plate. Team Captain Andeng Daquigan anchored first base, while Burns Yap covered second to complete the infield. In the outfield, Marvs Romano settled in right, Minelli Profeta patrolled center, and Angely Alferez manned left field.
Ateneo struggled in the opening frame as they went down in order in the top half, highlighted by a pop-up from Ditchon and a groundout to third by Basa. Eventually, Adamson seized early momentum in the opening frame with Reyae Villamin sparking the rally with a double before Mary Jane Libaton’s runs batted in (RBI) double placed Adamson in front, 1-0.
Though Adamson’s Roma Cruz singled as Libaton was thrown out heading to second base, the Lady Falcons kept the pressure on as Mae Langga reached safely while Patojal got on base off an error. Tubungbanua then cleared the bases with a three-RBI hit to widen the gap, followed by consecutive RBI doubles from Lady Falcons’ Jhaycel Roldan and Victoria Magbanua to further stretch the deficit. Ateneo allowed the opposition more runs as defensive miscues plagued the Katipunan-based squad, ending the first inning with the Blue Eagles trailing 0-8.
The top of the second frame looked promising for the Blue Eagles, with De Guzman drawing a lead-off walk. Right fielder Marvs Romano then reached first via an Adamson fielding error, but De Guzman was tagged out before reaching second. Ateneo could not follow up any further, with Daquigan and Profeta striking out to end their half of the inning.
The bottom of the second proved to be the breaking point for the Blue and White, with their San Marcelino-based opponents going on a 17-run bonanza. The Blue Eagles surrendered three straight walks to load the bases early, with Roldan clearing the bases with a three-run RBI double, 0-11. Ateneo’s fielding struggles continued to persist, allowing Adamson to go on an 11-run rally to double their deficit to 0-22. From there, the Ermita-based outfit then put the nail in Ateneo’s coffin, with cleanup hitter Langga hitting a three-run moonshot to extend their lead to 25-0.
The Blue Eagles were able to stem the heavy bleeding from the Lady Falcons’ bats, ending with a Jhaycel Roldan flyout. However, the deficit proved to be insurmountable for the Katipunan-based squad, with hitless at-bats from Yap, Alferez, and Ditchon sealing Ateneo’s third straight defeat via mercy rule, 0-25.
Aiming to regroup from this defeat, Ateneo seeks to break through for their first win as they face the University of Santo Tomas Softbelles on Saturday, March 7, at 11:00 AM in the same venue.
Innings scores:
Ateneo (0): 0 0 0 x x x x – 0 0 2
Adamson (25): 8 17 x x x x x – 25 16 0
Current Standings (W-L):
- AdU Lady Falcons (2-0)
- UP Fighting Maroons (1-0)
- UST Softbelles (1-1)
- DLSU Lady Batters (1-1)
- ATENEO Blue Eagles (0-3)
