Mhigeil Cerda wasn’t having the birthday game he might’ve hoped for against University of the Philippines.
The University of Santo Tomas slugger struggled at the plate, his earlier at-bats resulting in a mix of pop-ups and groundouts.
But a day after turning 24, and with UST’s Final Four hopes on the line in the UAAP Season 87 Baseball Tournament, Cerda asked head coach Jeff Santiago for one last shot.
And he made it count — delivering what could very well be the biggest hit of his career.
With UP one out away from sealing an 11-10 victory and booking the final Final Four berth, Cerda stepped up to the plate with the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the ninth.
Unfazed by his earlier struggles and driven by a desire to make a difference, the left fielder from Pambujan, Northern Samar, launched a deep fly ball to right-center — splitting the outfielders and bringing home John Vargas and Justine Rosales for a dramatic 12-11 walk-off win that sent the Golden Sox to the postseason as the No. 3 seed.
“Pinatunayan ko lang din kala coach at sa teammates ko na walang sawang sumusuporta sa akin,” said Cerda, the team captain.
“Sa early game, wala talaga akong palo, puro pop up. Tapos ngayon binigyan ako ng pagkakataon para bumawi, ayun na-execute ko,” he added.
“Nagtiwala si coach sa akin. Salamat, coach.”
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Through his first five plate appearances, Cerda had nothing to show but three outs, a sacrifice bunt, and a walk. Santiago had been considering inserting a pinch hitter for the final at-bat — but Cerda wouldn’t let him.
He asked for the moment, and his longtime coach — who’s been with him since high school — gave in.
“Ang captain ball ko, walang pinalo yan mula pa nung umpisa, puro pop up yan. Eh gusto ko ngang palitan,” Santiago admitted, himself a legendary pitcher from UST’s storied past.
“Kaya lang nakita ko, gusto niya talaga kasi birthday niya eh. Oh sige, pa-birthday ko sa’yo. Happy birthday sa kanya.”
As if fate had a hand in it, Cerda’s final plate appearance seemed chosen by UP.
UST had cut the deficit to 10-11 on a throwing error that allowed Cedrick Marquez to score all the way from first base while pushing Vargas to third. UP head coach Iking Jimenez then made a bold tactical call.
Jimenez opted to intentionally walk Season 85 MVP Justine Rosales, wary of his hot bat. With three balls and no strikes to the next batter, Prince Harry Geronimo, the Fighting Maroons decided to give him a free pass as well — setting up potential force-outs across the field but also placing the pressure on a hitless Cerda.
“Kasi ayun nga, sa unang innings, nakita siguro ng UP na yung mga palo ko puro pop up, kaya siguro doon sila lumaban sa akin,” Cerda said, clearly built for the big moment.
“Pero sabi ko sa sarili ko, wala, kailangan mapatunayan ko ito, kasi may palo naman ako eh. Alam ko sa sarili ko at ayun nga, nagbunga,” added the homegrown UST slugger.
Now safely into the Final Four, UST sets its sights on the twice-to-beat De La Salle Green Batters.
The two teams split their elimination round meetings, with La Salle taking the first, 8-6, and UST responding with a gritty 4-3 win in the second.
The Golden Sox have proven they can flip the switch when needed — turning around a sluggish 1-4 first round to finish with a 5-5 slate. Their second-round resurgence even includes handing National University its only loss of the eliminations, a 12-10 stunner on April 6 capped by an explosive eight-run eighth inning.
Still, Cerda knows that against La Salle, their current best might not be enough.
“Yung errors bawasan, tapos doble sipag pa. Kulang pa. Sipag pa kailangan,” the captain said.
