The DLSU Green Batters saw their UAAP Season 86 Baseball Tournament record drop to 4-3 after a heartbreaking 5-2 loss to the NU Bulldogs earlier today, March 17, at the UP Diliman Baseball Field.
The sluggers from Taft were leading at 2-1 by the bottom of the seventh inning behind runs from Renato Samuel and Agon De Vera. However, their adversaries scored a run in the seventh to level the scores before a Green-and-White ninth-inning collapse, eventually allowing the Bulldogs to secure the win.
Tightly contested
Coming into the diamond as clear favorites after a dominant victory in their first-round encounter, the Green Batters found it difficult to replicate that blazing form early on as the Green-and-White found hits hard to come by. However, La Salle was able to keep NU scoreless in the first three innings with quality pitching from Samuel.
The Taft-based squad gained some ground after a sacrifice groundout from Captain Vince Flores brought home Samuel to give them a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second. The advantage was short-lived, though, as the Bulldogs responded with a sacrifice hit of their own, delivered by Gio Gorpido to tie the game at 1-all.
The Green Batters were still unable to light their usual offensive spark, but a crisp base-running from De Vera allowed him to steal both second and home in the bottom of the sixth to give La Salle a slim 2-1 advantage.
Late-inning woes
NU equalized the scoreline after a run by shortstop Kevin Maulit at the top of the seventh inning, 2-all. At the bottom of the seventh, DLSU could not regain their lead, leaving their only runner on-base, De Vera, stranded after a groundout on first to send the game to its final frame.
Come the top of the ninth, a pair of dropped pitches later allowed Maulit to steal home and set the stage for a two-RBI double, 5-2. These mistakes spelled the Green Batters’ eventual demise, who were slapped with three quick outs at the bottom of the ninth to gut-wrenchingly end the game.
Following this result, the DLSU Green Batters and the NU Bulldogs are now tied for second, both holding 4-3 records prior to the 4-2 UST Growling Tigers’ next game. With a Final Four set up in place, the Green Batters are still gunning for a twice-to-beat advantage.
DLSU Head Coach Joseph Orillana expressed, “Naging alanganin na kami sa gustong mangyari na mag-top two.” With three games to play in the elimination round, La Salle hopes to sweep their upcoming fixtures in this title-defending season. “Ayaw namin dumaan sa twice-to-beat yung kalaban namin. Mas maganda tayo yung [kasama] sa top two para tayo ‘yung twice-to-beat,” Orillana said.
(Now we’re unclear about the scenario we wanted about being in the top two…We don’t want to go through a twice-to-beat opponent. It’s better if we’re in the top two so we’re the ones that are twice-to-beat.)
Stressing the importance of winning their next three games, the Green Batters take the same venue again at 6 pm on Thursday, March 21, for their Round Two matchup against the AdU Soaring Falcons.
