After a 14-run onslaught in the fourth inning that forced a mercy rule, the DLSU Green Batters overwhelmed rivals ADMU Blue Eagles, 23-5, earlier today, March 4, at the Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium.
Leading the charge, Jose Tantuico went four-for-four with a solo home run in the fifth, while Marco Flores led the team in RBIs with five to go along with his four hits. Meanwhile, Peter Nonaillada and Dustin Guong took the mound for La Salle in the five-inning domination.
Momentum in green
The Green Batters opened the first inning with pressure. Andres Lacson showed patience at the plate, drawing a walk after Ateneo Pitcher Waji Magsadia failed to locate the strike zone. Although Lacson was caught out attempting to steal second for the first out of the inning, the early aggression had set the tone. Tuting Samuel with a sharp hit to center, advanced to second and placed himself in a scoring position. The offense continued to find its rhythm as Villamiel and Tantuico delivered back-to-back base hits to load the bases. Faced with a scoring opportunity, Liam De Vera stepped up and executed a sacrifice play, allowing the runner from third base to cross home plate and give the Green Batters an early 1-0 advantage.
In the bottom half of the inning, the Green Batters faced an obstacle as the Blue Eagles attempted to mount a response against Nonaillada. A series of timely hits, including an RBI double, allowed ADMU to push across two runs and momentarily gain some momentum, 2-1. With the bases loaded, Nonaillada warmed up and delivered a crucial strikeout to prevent further damage.
The Green Batters continued their efforts at the plate in the second inning. With Yuta Kajihara striking out, Kirk Bigcas drew a walk to reach first base and kept the offense moving. Ateneo’s defense then responded with a timely double play on Ezy Bautista, effectively ending DLSU’s immediate scoring opportunity but keeping the inning active. On the mound, Nonaillada allowed a walk to the first Atenean at bat, yet the Green Batters quickly regained composure in the field. Despite the small advances by the Blue Eagles, DLSU’s defense held firm, ensuring that the inning closed without any more runs while setting the ground for the Green Batters to continue building momentum.
At the third of the top inning, Samuel’s hit allowed Lacson to score the first run. Team Captain Pio Villamiel received a walk as Tantuico followed with a hit to load the bases. De Vera drew a walk to bring in another run, while two more crossed home on a fielding miscue. De Vera was later retired at the plate, and a strikeout ended the top half. Following through, Nonaillada struck out one batter and helped close the inning after the Blue Eagles final attempt resulted in a ground out, keeping them scoreless in the frame.
Green avalanche
Entering the top of the fourth with a three-run advantage, the Green Batters pulled off a blazing 14-run inning that saw them combine elite slugging, taking advantage of Blue Eagle errors. The rally started when Lucas Atendido replaced Kairo Cueto for Ateneo on the mound. Tantuico got the first run of the period with a double to right-center field. With the bases loaded, Flores delivered a single while Kajihara hit a sacrifice fly to right to give La Salle an 8-2 lead.
After Kirk Bigcas brought another runner home, Bautista, Lacson, and Samuel broke the game open by hitting three consecutive RBI doubles to increase the advantage to double digits, 12-2. After facing a relentless barrage, Atendido struggled with command, leading to walks and wild pitches. After Tantuico hit another RBI single, a throwing error by the Ateneo second baseman allowed De Vera to reach first, allowing the inning to continue and bringing another run home.
The Green Batters remained hot in their slugging with Flores rifling a two-RBI triple to the corner, pushing the lead to 16-2. After Kajihara reached first on another Blue Eagles throwing error, Bigcas and Bautista got back-to-back RBIs on a triple and a single, respectively, bringing La Salle their final runs of the fourth inning as they ended the period with a 19-2 advantage.
Ateneo managed to minimally cut into the deficit in the bottom of the fourth, scoring two runs from three hits off La Salle starting pitcher Nonaillada and relief pitcher Guong. Leading off the top of the fifth, Tantuico ambushed ADMU relief pitcher Joshua Japson with a solo home run to left-center field. The Green Batters picked up where they left off in the fourth as hits from De Vera, Flores, Barry Oñas, and Iñigo Reyes gave the Green Batters a 23-4 lead.
The Kapitunan-based squad would ultimately bow out to an utterly dominant display from the Green and White, 23-5, after the game was called in the aftermath of the fifth inning.
The Green Batters will look to maintain their stellar form when they face the Adamson Soaring Falcons on Sunday, March 8, at the same venue.
