National University opened its bid for a third straight title in style, riding a blazing start to defeat Ateneo de Manila University, 9-4, on opening day of the UAAP Season 88 Collegiate Men’s Baseball Tournament on Wednesday at the Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium.
The Bulldogs erupted for four runs in the first inning and never looked back, leaning on their trademark defense to keep Ateneo at bay over the next eight frames in this tournament held in partnership with the Philippine Sports Commission.
Four early hits from the defending back-to-back champions quickly put runners in scoring position, and timely hits brought them home.
Gab Francisco, a former Blue Eagle now donning Bulldogs colors, drove in Kiel Olazo and Jherick Timban to ignite the rally. Kevin Maulit and Julius Soriano capped the four-run inning, scoring off hits from Charles Chua and Aaron Detoito, respectively.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
“This is a good start for us; we just have to build momentum pa sa mga susunod na games. And I’m just thankful sa pinakita ng mga bata talaga — pinakita nila kung gaano kalalim ‘yung team namin,” said head coach Romar Landicho after the strong opening win.
Detoito delivered again in the third inning with another hit and RBI to extend the lead to 5-0. Bryan Lagumbay, Timban, and Maulit chipped in two hits apiece to power NU’s 12-hit outing.
Amiel De Guzman, the Season 86 Best Pitcher and a national team member, earned the win after tossing six solid innings. He limited Ateneo to just one run on six hits, anchoring the Bulldogs’ dream start.
NU aims to sustain its momentum when it faces the University of the Philippines in Sunday’s 7 a.m. opener.
“Sana magtuloy-tuloy lang ‘yung composure at tibay ng loob nila. Huwag lang kaming mawala sa goal namin; stick to the plan and stick to the goal,” Landicho added.
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
The Blue Eagles showed signs of life late, scoring four runs over the final three innings, but the surge proved insufficient.
Luis Magsadia highlighted Ateneo’s stand with a ninth-inning hit that drove in two runs, while seven others tallied one hit each.
Lucas Atentido took the loss after surrendering six runs on 10 of NU’s 12 total hits.
Ateneo will try to bounce back against Adamson University in Sunday’s tripleheader finale.
| Teams | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NU | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 9 | 12 | |||||
| Ateneo | 1 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 5 |
