NU overpowers La Salle for UAAP baseball repeat

On the brink of collapse, National University turned pressure into power — unleashing a fifth-inning storm to etch their names in UAAP baseball with a back-to-back title.

The Bulldogs completed a sweep of the De La Salle University Green Batters, pulling off a come-from-behind 9-6 victory in Game 2 of the UAAP Season 87 Baseball Finals, Tuesday at the Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium in Malate, Manila.

The victory marked NU’s fifth baseball crown and sixth overall championship this season, adding to its gold medals in men’s badminton, women’s basketball, women’s taekwondo kyorugi, women’s beach volleyball, and men’s tennis.

NU remains in contention for both the men’s and women’s volleyball titles, where they are also the reigning champions.

After trimming the deficit to three in the fourth inning, 2-5, the Bulldogs exploded for five runs in the fifth to seize the lead and never looked back.

The turning point came when Tuting Samuel hit two consecutive batters — Kenneth Maulit and Herald Tenorio — placing them on second and first, respectively. With a chance to close the gap, Maulit delivered a single just beyond the reach of Samuel on the right field, scoring his brother Kenneth.

Gio Gorpido followed with a sacrifice fly to bring Tenorio home, cutting the lead to one.

Finals MVP and graduating senior Nigel Paule then smacked an RBI double to level the game. The Bulldogs added two more runs, courtesy of Paule and pinch runner Lester Balon, who replaced Kyle Hardillo, to complete the rally.

“We’re so relieved; we’re so happy. Hindi ko maipaliwanag ‘yung pakiramdam kasi nga history ‘to para sa NU,” said NU head coach Romar Landicho, now a two-time UAAP champion coach. “Yung puso talaga at ‘yung mental toughness, pati ‘yung mentality na never give up — ‘yun talaga naging key in getting this win.”

Clinging to a slim one-run lead entering the eighth, NU tacked on two more insurance runs to build a more comfortable 9-6 cushion.

They sealed the win in the ninth inning with a textbook double play — proving once more why they were the season’s best defensive team.

With De La Salle’s captain Lord Aragorn De Vera on second and Miguel Agoncillo on first, Barry Oñas tried to extend the game. However, his grounder went straight to Kiel Olazo, who threw to Maulit to tag Agoncillo out at second before Maulit fired to first baseman Herald Tenorio to retire Oñas and end the game.

“Yung composure talaga ng mga bata na kahit down, lumalaban pa rin sila. Kasi naniniwala sila na until the last out kaya nilang humabol,” added Landicho, a former three-time champion with the UP Fighting Maroons during his playing days.

De La Salle made it a contest until the end, slicing the lead to one in the bottom of the sixth. Graduating standout JR Alcontin kept their hopes alive by scoring off a hit-by-pitch. With the bases loaded against reliever Jherick Timban, Liam De Vera walked to first, allowing Alcontin to cross home plate.

However, NU’s defense stood tall. Maulit fielded a Marco Flores hit, tagged Samuel en route to third, then threw to Olazo to tag De Vera out at second and complete the double play.

NU, which also topped the elimination round with a 9-1 record, reaped individual accolades as well: Tenorio was named Best Slugger (.795 slugging average), while Maulit earned Most RBIs (16).

Olazo led with Most Stolen Bases (13), and Timban was recognized as Best Pitcher with a 1.860 ERA.

University of Santo Tomas secured third place, with graduating player JR Vargas being named Season MVP. Vargas also led the league in home runs (2), while Cedrick Marquez was honored as Rookie of the Year.

Last season’s MVP Ian Mercado of UP finished as the Best Hitter with a .523 batting average.