The DLSU Green Batters fell short of the crown after committing multiple field errors in Game 2 of the UAAP Season 88 Baseball Tournament Finals, 9-3, earlier today, April 17, at the Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium.
Tuting Samuel hit a two-run home run and pitched three innings in the losing effort.
Defensive breakdown
The early innings were defined by a relentless offensive push from the Bulldogs and uncharacteristic defensive lapses from La Salle. In the opening frame, Jherick Timban ignited the rally with a single and a heads-up steal, setting the stage for Kevin Maulit to drive him home with a clutch full-count run-batted-in (RBI) single, 1-0. Julius Soriano followed suit with another RBI knock to extend the lead, while Luke Villacruz and Liam De Vera struggled to handle the pressure, committing multiple errors that gifted NU extra bases. Although Samuel managed to escape the first and second innings with minimal damage despite the defensive miscues, his luck ran thin as the visitors continued to exploit every mistake to build an early advantage, 3-0.
La Salle’s bats remained largely silent against Hil Espina, whose command of the zone kept the home side off-balance through four frames. The best opportunity for a comeback arrived in the bottom of the second when Tantuico reached second and Yuta Kajihara moved him to third on a grounder, but Espina induced a crucial flyout to strand the runners. A pitching change in the fourth saw Peter Nonaillanda take the mound while Samuel moved behind the plate, momentarily stabilizing the defense despite Charles Chua and Bryan Lagumbay reaching base. However, the offense failed to capitalize on the shift as Marco Tantuico’s fourth-inning walk was ultimately wasted, leaving La Salle scoreless as they headed into the middle stages of the contest.
Valiant effort
In the top of the fifth, Nonaillada forced two ground outs after giving up a leadoff single to Timban. However, a walk to Kiel Olazo and an intentional walk to Charles Chua led to a bases-loaded, two-outs situation. Third baseman Gio Gorpido came up clutch for NU with a two-RBI single to give the Bulldogs a 5-0 lead.
The Green Batters would finally get on the board in the bottom of the fifth as Samuel’s sharp hit to third, despite facing two-outs, was bobbled by Gorpido, allowing the runner on third to come home and cut into the deficit, 5-1.
Kenneth Maulit came up with what would have only been an RBI single, but an errant throw by La Salle left fielder Yuta Kajihara allowed the second run to come home and for the batter to come into second. First baseman Soriano would follow with an RBI single of his own, adding up to an 8-1 Bulldogs advantage.
Tantuico faced traffic in the top of the seventh as the pitcher found himself in a bases-loaded, two-outs scenario after a hit-by-pitch, single, and walk. However, he would end the inning without any damage after forcing Kevin Maulit to ground out.
In the bottom of the seventh, the top of the Green Batters lineup mounted a two-out rally as after two quick outs forced by NU starting pitcher Espina, Oñas hit a single into right field. Samuel would follow with the biggest hit of the day for La Salle as he clubbed a two-run opposite field home run into right to make it an 8-3 ballgame.
The Green-and-White left the top of the eighth unscathed as relief pitcher Johan Rentero pitched around the two runners inherited from Tantuico. Despite the strong performance on the mound, Bulldogs pitcher Espina would once again shut down the Green Batters in the bottom of the eighth as La Salle Head Coach Joseph Orillana opted to sub in the reserve players.
In the ninth, Green Batters rookie pitcher Dustin Guong would only give up one run on a sacrifice fly while Espina capped off his quality complete game performance as the game ended with the Bulldogs winning comfortably, 9-3.
In the aftermath of a shaky defensive performance, Coach Orillana acknowledged that the team’s inability to stick to the game plan proved costly. “Una [game plan] namin talaga is ma-minimize ‘yung errors, since hindi nila na-maintain ‘yung game plan, medyo kinulang kami [ro]on, walang magagawa. Bawi kami sa Game 3, mas gusto nila manalo,” he remarked, noting that despite a strategic shift to Samuel on the mound to disrupt NU’s rhythm, the lack of offensive support and defensive miscues left the pitching staff vulnerable.
Orillana then explained the mindset behind the rotation change, stating, “Expected namin na pag hindi si Liam [De Vera] yung pupukol, magkakaron kami ng ibang pitcher na mag-click o hindi, since hindi nga natulungan sa paluan, talagang medyo nahirapan kasi alam namin babalik at babalik ang NU sa Game 2.”
(The first game plan was to minimize the errors, we could not stick to the plan, we failed in that area, we lacked in that field, and there is nothing we can do about it. We will bounce back in Game 3. They [NU] wanted to win more.)
(We expected that if Liam [De Vera] isn’t going to pitch, then we are going to have another pitcher who is a click or miss, and since we could not do anything on the hitting side, we had a hard time, because we know that NU is going to bounce back in Game 2.)
Looking ahead to the winner-takes-all Game 3 on Tuesday, April 21, Orillana is urging his squad to flush the disappointment of the loss and rediscover the fire they displayed in the series opener. He emphasized a return to the fundamentals and the mental toughness required for a Finals atmosphere. “Itong Game 2, sabi ko kalimutan na. Inabot talaga na kinulang sa paluan, focus tayo sa Game 3. Kung ano magandang ginawa natin nung Game 1,‘yung init, ‘yung paluan, ‘yung depensa, ‘yung kumpyansa, ‘yung tapang sa laro, ‘yun ang dadalhin natin sa Game 3 at hihigitan pa natin iyan,” Orillana concluded, setting a high bar for the championship decider.
(In Game 2, I said that we should forget about it. We just couldn’t get hits, let’s focus on Game 3. Whatever good thing we did in Game 1, the heat, the hits, the defense, the confidence, the courage in playing, that’s what we’ll bring in Game 3, and we’ll go above and beyond.)
