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| c/o UAAP Media Team |
Games Sunday at Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium
7 a.m. - UST vs DLSU
*NU vs Ateneo
*UP vs AdU
*Law of immediate succession
ATENEO
de Manila University broke into the win column of the UAAP Season 87
Baseball Tournament with a thrilling 7-5 victory over University of the
Philippines, Wednesday at the Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium in Malate,
Manila.
The Blue Eagles leaned on the heroics of third-year left
fielder Joshua De Juras and the solid pitching of rookie Lucas Atentido
to pull off the win, tying them with the Fighting Maroons at 1-2 for
fifth to sixth place.
Atentido, a product of PAREF Southridge
School, endured 14 hits from UP but anchored the defense by limiting
them to two earned runs in a complete-game effort. His impressive outing
reflected the emphasis on defensive adjustments made by Ateneo's
coaching staff, led by Bocc Bernardo, during the two-week break.
"Para
sa 'kin, 'yung first two games were very far from the potential of the
team. Most of my players kasi, ten of eleven of them are rookies, so it
would take time for them to get used to the level sa UAAP. Sa two weeks
na 'yon, we tightened up our defense and made some adjustments sa
lineup," said Bernardo, a former catcher for the Blue Eagles.
("For
me, the first two games were very far from the team's potential. Most
of my players — ten out of eleven — are rookies, so it would take time
for them to get used to the level of competition in the UAAP. During
those two weeks, we tightened up our defense and made some adjustments
to our lineup.)
Defense proved vital for Ateneo as UP threatened to turn the tide in the final two innings.
Last
year's Rookie of the Year Aaron Nicha and VJ Mangahas tried to ignite
rallies in the eighth and ninth innings, respectively. However, Ateneo's
outfield held firm to preserve the lead.
Center fielder
Alejandro Mendoza denied reigning MVP Ian Mendoza his fourth hit of the
day by snatching a high ball in the eighth inning, stranding Nicha and
Eman Javier on base.
De Juras then stepped up defensively with
two straight putouts off Razhley Santos and Kobe Torres in the ninth.
Marvin Nalzaro, who replaced Kiel Agojo, grounded out to first baseman
Daniel Fabella for the final out, securing Ateneo's hard-fought victory.
The
Blue Eagles built a 3-0 lead early, sparked by Angelo Bernardo's hit to
deep centerfield. An error by UP third baseman VJ Mangahas with Luis
Magsadia at the plate and a hit-by-pitch incident involving Daniel
Badrina and Alfonso Tueres loaded the bases. Zeke Laygo then delivered a
crucial looping hit down the right foul line, driving in two runs.
Laygo finished with one hit and two RBIs, while Luis Fabella added two more RBIs in the third inning to pad Ateneo's lead.
Ateneo
will aim for back-to-back wins when they face defending champions
National University (2-0), who were playing at press time, in Sunday's
second game.
The loss overshadowed several strong offensive
performances from the Fighting Maroons. Mangahas led the charge with
four hits in five at-bats and one RBI. Reigning Best Hitter Mercado
chipped in three hits, while Santos contributed two hits and one RBI.
Daniel
Badrina absorbed his first loss of the season after surrendering seven
runs on eight hits over 5.2 innings. Ram Matanguihan kept Ateneo
scoreless the rest of the way, but UP's attempted comeback fell short as
they suffered their second consecutive defeat following an opening-day
win.
UP will face Adamson University (1-1) in Sunday's third
game, while University of Santo Tomas and De La Salle University will
open the day's action at 7 a.m.
Teams 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
UP 0 0 0 1 0 0 4 0 0 5 14 4
Ateneo 0 3 1 2 1 0 0 0 x 7 8 2
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