The finalists of the UAAP Season 88 High School Baseball tournament will be determined at a later date after the crucial final day of eliminations was rained out on Saturday at the Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium in Malate, Manila.
The first game between league-leading National University Nazareth School and De La Salle Zobel was already in the bottom of the seventh inning, with the Junior Green Batters holding a 4-3 lead over the Bullpups, when plate umpire Roland Siacor called for a stoppage as heavy rain poured over the Malate venue.
The remainder of the bottom of the seventh inning, along with the final two innings of the contest between the two Finals contenders, will resume on Monday, February 16, at 8 a.m.
The scheduled matchup between defending champions University of Santo Tomas Junior Golden Sox and guest team PAREF Southridge Admirals will follow at 10 a.m., immediately after the continuation.
DLSZ struck first in the bottom of the opening inning, scoring three runs off NUNS pitcher Chester Mateo. The Alabang-based squad capitalized on a costly error on an attempted putout on Amadeus Trozado to seize control early in the high-stakes contest.
The league’s top-ranked team responded in the next inning, plating three runs of its own to tie the game. Justin Lauriquez tripled to bring home Jericho Catchero and Jopet Tabat, before a fielding error off the bat of John Plaza allowed Lauriquez to score and level the count.
However, the Junior Green Batters regained the lead in the third inning. Laurence Valeros doubled and eventually scored off a sacrifice hit from Joaquin Calanog, restoring DLSZ’s advantage. They held on to the slim lead through six innings as the weather worsened, before the game was ultimately suspended.
If DLSZ completes the comeback victory, it will create a triple tie with the Bullpups and the winner of the UST-Southridge showdown.
NUNS, meanwhile, can secure a berth in the best-of-three Finals against the winner of the Junior Golden Sox–Admirals clash if it overturns the one-run deficit upon resumption.
