Both the De La Salle University Green Batters and Softbelles are off to slow starts in the 75th Season of the UAAP. The Green Batters started, 1-2, after being ranked as one of the preseason favorites due to the team’s last third place finish last season while the Softbelles lost three straight games. The team now sports a 2-4 record.
Gearing for a comeback
The Green Batters started the team’s campaign with two straight losses against two of last season’s top four, UST and Ateneo. Coming off a promising campaign last year, which saw the team jump from last place to third, expectations were raised for the squad this year.
In the team’s first game against UST, the Green Batters succumbed to communication mishaps and failed to match UST’s firepower as La Salle lost, 9-4. The team failed to extend the team’s two game winning streak against UST, which has won 24 championships in the UAAP.
The second game was no different as the Green Batters failed to contain Ateneo in a 15-7 drubbing. The talented Ateneo squad, which finished second place last season, overpowered the Green-and-White squad with a flurry of runs from La Salle’s seasoned roster. The bright spot for La Salle in this game was rookie Shortstop Miguel Olmos who rattled his first career home run.
With the team’s back against the wall, the Green Batters picked up a come-from-behind victory against Adamson. In their first win of the season, the Batters showed poise and composure, which the team severely lacked in the first two games. Down 3-0 after the first inning, La Salle wound up with a 5-4 win, highlighted by the team’s own three run outburst in the seventh canto.
“We came together. We came back from a big deficit, and we showed heart and this was a good morale booster.” said Team Captain Jay Laurel after his team’s first victory.
A dangerous trend
After starting the season with a surprising 2-2 record, the Softbelles dropped two straight games to start the New Year.
The squad was a victim of the mercy rule against the UST Lady Tigresses in the fifth inning after the Ladies trailed by nine, 2-11, last January 5. The Softbelles continued to remain unable to sustain momentum after the team won two of the team’s first four games.
The ladies followed the game up with another loss against the NU Lady Bulldogs. The Softbelles fell, 4-8, against NU. The aforementioned team just joined the UAAP Softball tournament this year. La Salle failed to shutdown NU as the ladies suffered their fourth loss of the season.
Despite the team’s recent slide, the Softbelles already have much to be happy about. Last season’s dismal winless campaign has been redeemed as the team has exceeded expectations with two wins early in the tournament. The Softbelles’vv win total this season is even more than the team’s win total in the past two seasons combined.
Bright outlook
With seven games remaining for the Green Batters, anything is still possible. As the season continues, the team will only grow more potent as the team’s mix of veterans and top tier rookies will continue to jell with hopes of finding a winning formula.
On the other hand, the Softbelles has a full second round ahead to try and finish with a medal this season. For a young squad like the Softbelles, consistency on defense and offense must be present to pull off upsets from higher seeded teams in the second round as the team finished the first round in the lower half of the standings.
