UAAP BASEBALL: ADAMSON BEATS ATENEO, 7-3
By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 13 Feb 2018
They could have stopped the game when heavy rains fell soaking the Rizal Memorial diamond going into the fifth inning last Sunday in the UAAP baseball tournament and awarded Adamson University with the victory outright as the Falcons led defending champion Ateneo, 4-3, by that time.
They didn?t and the Falcons went on to win just the same, 7-3, on the strength of a three-hit, three-run attack in the seventh that saw Falcons? rightfielder Lester Carandang tagged the Blue Eagles relief pitcher Rogelio Angeles with a single, centerfielder Edwin Bosito with a double and John Maigue with a tripple.
But more significantly, it offered Adamson hurler Jerome Yenson the opportunity to show what stuff he?s made of.
The Talavera, Nueva Ecija-born right-hander blanked the Eagles from the third inning on with fastballs and sinkers, which he swore were his forte denying the title defenders what could have been their third straight triumph and a share of leadership with arch-rival La Salle.
Ateneo instead skidded to second in a tie with its tormentor and last year?s second placer University of Santo Tomas with identical two wins and a loss each besides losing, too, their pride if not totally putting in jeopardy it title-retention bid.
Adamson?s victory, likewise, bolstered coach Orlando Binarao boys? chances of ending the school?s long 12-year championship draught. The Falcons last sat on the varsity league?s throne as baseball champions in 2006.
What was expected a close contest started just that. A least in the first two and-a-half innings where the score was tied 3-all before Yenson, who besides doing his masterpiece pitches can also throw curves, sliders and risers, turned serious.
The Falcons grabbed the upper hand for good in the fourth here Bosito, a member of the national team like Yenson, boarded on a double, advanced to third on a passed ball and reached home on a single by Vince Terrible who pinchhit for shorstop Bryan Castillo, who was hit on the ribs by a pitched ball earlier.
Three scoreless frames followed as both teams groped for the needed shots, the Falcons off starter Paulo Macasaet and the Eagles off the diesel-like Yenson who looked to be stronger and stronger as the game wore on.
Then Carandang, Bosito and Maigue turned the game wide open in the seventh when rains were the heaviest even as Yenson chilled the Aeneo batters that crossed his path, retiring all in 1-2-3 order in the fourth, fifth, seventh and eighth.
Yenson struckout 14 Ateneo batters in all, a tournament high, including a pair in the ninth and last inning where he yielded the only third hit to the enemies. The Falcons ended up with 10 hits off two Macasaet and Angeles.
Binarao was all praises to his prized hurler, who, incidentally is in his last year wearing Adamson?s blue and white uniform. ?Baka nga sakaling (Yenson) and magdala ng titulo sa Adamson sa kanyang huling taon at putulin na ang matagal-tagal na naming pananabik sa kampeonato,? he said.
?Superb, amazing. Yenson just showed he deserves to be in the Philippine team,? Ateneo head coach Rasndy Dizer who has been calling the shots for the Eagles on the sidelines while recovering from heart attack he suffered three weeks ago, could only say.
La Salle pummelled National University
La Salle pummelled National University with 16 connections in a 17-5 victory, their third in as many outings to remain the only unbeaten team in the six-team field. That was the Maroons? third straight loss.
UST dealt University of the Philippines its third consecutive setback, 9-5.
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Eddie Alinea.
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