In their third match in the second round of eliminations, the DLSU Green Batters dismantled the UST Growling Tigers, 21-5, earlier today at the Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium. With the win, the Green-and-White now share the top of the standings with the ADMU Blue Eagles as both teams sport a 6-2 win-loss record.
After convincingly defeating the Growling Tigers , head coach Joseph Orillana shared what he felt “Happy ako sa mga boys dahil well-motivated sila at pinakita nila na gusto nilang manalo sa game.”
(I’m happy with the boys because they were well-motivated and they showed that they really wanted to win the game.)
An all around team effort allowed DLSU to come away with the convincing win as scintillating offense and reliable defense were at work. Arvin Herrera also put up a praiseworthy performance as he held the UST scoreless from the third to sixth inning.
The start of the match saw both teams level it out , scoring one run each to end the first inning. The team from Taft then extended their lead in the next inning as they scored three runs, courtesy of runs batted in (RBIs) from Tuwi Park and Paolo Salud and a throwing error by UST. In the same inning, the Growling Tigers responded by scoring one run off an error. However, this proved to be the last of the team’s offense until a half-hearted late game effort.
The Green Batters continued to assert their dominance as they scored four runs in the third inning and two runs in the fourth inning. Their offensive effort did not end there as they tallied four more runs in the fifth inning, putting them up by 12 runs, 14-2, heading into the sixth inning.
In the seventh inning, the Green-and-White showed their depth as the substitutes largely contributed to the seven-run inning that gave La Salle an insurmountable lead. With Kiko Gesmundo at first, Rafael Pascual sent one to right center field for a base hit that allowed Gesmundo to reach third, followed by a throwing error that allowed Gesmundo to cross the plate. Park then followed up by hitting a hot grounder down the left field line for an RBI single. After another RBI single from Paolo Casas, Adolfo Bilbao stepped up to rip one to deep right field for a two-run double. Gabo Pineda then blasted one deep into left center for a ground rule double to allow A. Bilbao to score. Afterwards, Anton Acuña put the cherry on top by sending one to right field to score G. Pineda.
The Growling Tigers tried to respond as both Mark Beronilla and Christian Dela Cruz recorded an RBI each. However, these were not enough as La Salle got the third out on a groundout to short.
When asked about their next match against the Blue Eagles, Orillana expressed his confidence in his team. “Dadalhin nila yung momentum at nagpe–peak na rin yung team, so sabi ko hanggang Ateneo dalhin na natin ‘to,” he shared.
(They will bring the momentum and the team has already peaked as well, so I said let’s bring this until [the] Ateneo [matchup].)
The Green Batters are looking to take solo first in the standings in a match against their rivals, the ADMU Blue Eagles, on Sunday, March 17, at 1pm at the same venue.
