UAAP: Green Batters rally past UP; Lady Batters overpowered by Adamson

The DLSU Green Batters found their way to victory in a comeback win against the UP Fighting Maroons which was played on two days due to the playing conditions at Rizal Memorial. On February 22, the match was suspended due to time constraints after the fifth inning with a score of 4-3 in favor of UP and it was set to resume on March 1.

On the other hand, the Lady Batters fell at the hands of the AdU Lady Falcons with a score of 11-3 last Saturday, February 28. With the win, the Lady Falcons remain undefeated on the season while the Lady Batters now have a 6-3 win-loss record.

Coming back strong

During the early stages of the match, the Fighting Maroons looked determined to put the Green Batters against the wall with their relentless offense. Karl Peralta and SJ San Juan managed to give UP the 2-0 lead during the upper half of the first inning. When it was the Green Batters’ turn to bat, Kenneth Mariñas gave La Salle headaches at the home plate.

The second inning proved to only be worse for the Taft-based squad. UP scored two more runs courtesy of Diego Gonzales and Joaqui Silvestre, giving them a 4-0 advantage.

La Salle, however, turned to Carlos Muñoz for some firepower. Muñoz hit a near home-run that stunned the entire Fighting Maroons squad and gave the Green Batters the spark that they needed.

At the end of the second inning, the score was 4-1 with UP still leading. After making necessary defensive adjustments, DLSU was able to hold down UP to a scoreless frame.

Paolo Salud of the Green Batters carried the defensive weight as he displayed great awareness by catching several UP fly balls. It was an inch-by-inch uphill battle for the La Salle as they found themselves converting plays.

During the fourth inning, La Salle scored another run to cut down the lead to two. Coming from his outstanding defensive plays during the previous inning, Salud showcased his offensive skills by capturing the second base and eventually taking a run home to get La Salle within distance, 4-3, at the end of five innings.

Resuming a week later in the sixth inning, both teams initially kept the score at 4-3. Most of the players who played during the first five innings were substituted in the sixth.

With the bases loaded in the seventh inning, Green Batter Luigi Nolasco hit a three-run double, with the next batter, Quito Castro driving his teammate in from second to put La Salle up 7-4.

Two more runs in the eighth inning pushed their lead up to 9-4. They also kept UP scoreless throughout the remainder of the game.

This win propelled DLSU to an 8-2 win-loss record, placing them first in the rankings to end the regular season.

A second time

The Lady Batters were immediately overtaken by the Lady Falcons with a home run made by Queeny Sababo. A series of errors were incurred by the Taft-based squad which Adamson quickly took advantage of, racking up a number of points. The first inning ended with a score of 5-0 in favor of Adamson.

The Lady Falcons continued their surge in the two following innings, earning a total of one point for the second inning and three points in the third, while keeping La Salle from scoring.

In the fourth inning, Jen Gomez slugged the ball to the left field that brought her all the way to the second base. She, together with Jamica Arribas, was able to complete the run with the help of Pat Belarmino, scoring two runs for La Salle. Badeth Benson followed up with another run in the fifth inning.

Unfortunately for the Lady Batters, they were stopped by the Lady Falcons from scoring more points after that. The match ended as another victory for Adamson, 11-3, via mercy rule.

During the match, the Lady Batters accumulated a total of five hits with three completed runs, and incurring a total of six errors. AdU, on the other hand, made eight hits, scored 11 runs while incurring only one error.

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The Green Batters are to challenge their rivals and the UAAP defending champions, the ADMU Blue Eagles, in the best-of-three finals which will be held on March 5, 12, and 15. The Lady Batters, on the other hand, will face the NU Lady Bulldogs at 11 am this Wednesday, March 4. All games will be played at Rizal Memorial.