Adamson University clinched its first victory of the UAAP Season 87 Baseball Tournament, overpowering University of Santo Tomas with an 11-4 triumph on Sunday at the Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium in Malate, Manila.
Fourth-year Physical Education major Kenneth Delos Santos led the Soaring Falcons to a 1-1 record.
The team now sits in a four-way tie for second to fifth place alongside their victims UST, the University of the Philippines, and De La Salle University.
National University sits alone at the top with a 2-0 record heading into a two-week break.
Starting pitcher Delos Santos held the Golden Sox — who had scored 13 runs in their previous outing against Ateneo de Manila University — to just four runs on five hits across seven innings, securing his first win of the season.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
James Nisnisan then took over on the mound, keeping UST scoreless while allowing only two hits to seal the victory for the event hosts.
Head coach Lando Binarao stressed the importance of a deep pitching rotation, which had been a major concern in Adamson’s sixth-place finish last season.
“Ano pa rin ‘to eh, parang challenge pa rin sa amin ‘to. Kasi last season, last kami sa standing, so ‘yun na nga yung sinasabi ko, kasi last year medyo kulang ako sa pitchers. Ngayon, medyo pinuno ko na ‘yung pitchers ko. Kailangan lang mag-deliver sila ng maayos para nandoon pa rin kami sa top four,” the veteran coach shared.
With the game tied at 2-2, Adamson seized control in the fourth inning, sparked by Joao Severino’s deep hit to left field.
John Mark Tupig followed with a huge triple that sent Severino home before scoring himself off a Leonel Matanguihan hit, giving the Falcons a 4-2 lead.
Lawrence Mercado and Kristan Reyes each added an RBI, while Matanguihan finished with two hits in six at-bats.
The tournament will resume on March 19 after a brief break, as league officials attend the Little League Philippine Series in Pambujan, Northern Samar.
Adamson will face De La Salle University in the third game of the day, while UST, now also at 1-1, will go up against defending champion National University in the second matchup.
The day’s action will open at 7:00 AM, with a battle between the University of the Philippines and winless Ateneo (0-2).
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
UST used three pitchers in the game, but Jesus Cabigao took the loss, surrendering the first four Adamson runs on four hits, including Tupig’s crucial triple.
Prince Harry Geronimo and Irvin Llave were responsible for the remaining seven of Adamson’s 11 runs.
| Teams | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ADU | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 11 | 9 | 1 | |||||
| UST | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 8 |
