Falcon batters cruise past Ateneo in 19-run game, bags third straight W
Date Posted: March 30, 2023 at 10:38 AM
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The Soaring Falcons continued their stellar run in the UAAP 85 Baseball tournament after putting up an offensive spectacle to subdue Ateneo de Manila University, 19-10, this March 29 at the UP Diliman Baseball Field.
The win gave Adamson its third straight win after registering a 1-2 record to begin the season.
Outfielder Raymond Nerosa paced the huge hitting performance from the San Marcelino crew, who zoomed to a 4-2 record to remain in third place, with three hits and two runs in five at-bats to score three in the process.
Two of those hits came in the sixth and seventh innings when Adamson needed to push the lead as the Ateneo eventually found its connection and scored two at the bottom of the sixth with Javi Limpo opening the frame with a double.
The starting second baseman then crossed home with a good hit to the middle of the field from Ethan Mitschiener, who came to bat for Geof Magsadia.
Despite the win, Falcon batters’ head coach Orlando Binarao still expects better consistency from his wards moving forward.
"Yung lamang namin was seven runs. Pero sinasabi ko nga, hindi pwedeng magkumpyansa kasi anytime pwedeng mag-rally [ang kalaban],” he explained.
"Ayun na nga, nung seventh inning, nakapasok sila ng six runs. Mabuti naka-score pa kami ng susunod na innings at napalayo yung score.”
That Ateneo rally began when starting left fielder Luis Capati and pinch hitter Joaquin Alcaraz carved back-to-back hits off relief pitcher Dan Bacalla before the two went home to cut the deficit to eight at 6-14.
The entire Blue Eagle batting order went to the plate before Richard Matic, who replaced Bacalla at the mound, closed the rally.
Shortstop Enzo Montemayor was the offensive machine once more for Ateneo, ending with two hits but one of those was triple that scored three of his five RBIs in the game in that seventh-inning binge.
Matic, though, eventually sent all the eight batters he faced spanning the seventh and the ninth innings, including a solid unassisted putout on a catch of a line drive from pinch hitter Alonso Tuprio, to stop the Blue Eagles.
The Soaring Falcons eventually made their bats do the work and scored five runs in that same span to seal the win. John Matanguihan sent a grounder to the left field line for a triple that scored Kent Reyes in the eighth before three hits turned into three runs for Matic and relief first basemen Aaron Mercado and Kier Plaza in the final frame.
Reports from the UAAP Media Team