PAREF Southridge and the University of Santo Tomas revived their UAAP Season 88 High School Baseball Finals hopes with contrasting victories, Wednesday at the Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium.
The Admirals relied on Brennan Bitanga’s heroics to edge the De La Salle Zobel Junior Green Batters in walk-off fashion. He drilled a two-RBI single to avert a potential meltdown and secure a 7-6 victory that kept Southridge in contention.
Meanwhile, the Junior Golden Sox kept their title defense alive with a 12-4 triumph over the Ateneo Blue Eagles in the first game, powered by a pitching masterclass from Eugene Hermozura.
The results created a three-way tie for second place, with Southridge, UST, and DLSZ each holding four wins and three losses. The three schools trail solo leader National University Nazareth School at 5-2.
With the bases loaded and one out, Bitanga sent a ball soaring beyond Junior Green Batters’ second baseman Joaquin Calanog. Emilio Borja and JC Basañes scored to end the nearly four-hour battle in dramatic fashion.
“I believe that Brennan’s due. Hindi ko naman siguro pwedeng itago na he’s not performing to our expectations. So, when he came up to bat, one ball, two strikes, and, of course, all the pressure now is on the defense,” said head coach Bocc Bernardo, praising the 15-year-old’s fighting spirit.
“We’re home, bases were loaded, and with one out, I know Brennan will come through.”
(C) UAAP Season 88 Media Team
Hermozura, the 18-year-old UST pitcher, stifled the Ateneo lineup on a no-relief stint. He allowed just one hit while snapping a three-game skid that dated back to the final game of the first round, an 18-6 rout of the same squad on January 21.
He also struck out 11 batters, easing pressure on his teammates at the plate and helping UST complete a season sweep against Ateneo. The Junior Golden Sox amassed 18 hits overall, with an eight-run finish extending a narrow 4-2 lead to the final 12-4 score.
“Buhay pa, pero sa tingin ko ‘tong mga batang ‘to mahina ang morale pa. Nakikita ko psychologically nada-down pa eh. Medyo nag-sink ‘yung kanilang performance, both physically and ‘yung mental alertness nila nawala,” said UST head coach Jeff Santiago.
“Sana, maka-chamba pa rin kami at makapasok sa Finals, baka sakali bumalik ‘yung dati nilang galing.”
DLSZ can force a three-way tie at 5-3 with a win over NUNS on Saturday, with two Finals spots on the line against the winner of the Southridge-UST clash later that day. If the Bullpups survive the Junior Green Batters, they will secure a Finals berth and face the victor between Southridge and the Junior Golden Sox.
Southridge broke a four-and-a-half-inning stalemate in the fifth, scoring four runs on Matt Genota’s single off DLSZ starter Leohj Palanog, which earned three RBIs. Joaquin Salvador contributed two hits and one RBI to keep the rally alive.
Basañes stabilized the Admirals’ defense in 2.1 innings, allowing three earned runs on three hits, taking over from starter Amiel Belgar, who pitched six innings. Belgar nearly missed the game after being struck in the left temple by a stray ball during warmups, leaving him briefly unconscious before recovering in time to play.
Trailing 0-4, Zobel capitalized on Southridge’s errors in the ninth to seize a 6-5 lead. Bitanga, on third base, mishandled Carlos Zulueta’s line drive, allowing two runs to score in a bases-loaded scenario. He then redeemed himself in the bottom of the same inning with the decisive hit that sealed the victory.
For UST, Isaiah Tolentino led the offense with four hits in six at-bats, scoring four runs as Hermozura’s designated hitter. Second baseman Jess De Leon — who replaced Kyle Santiago in the sixth — recorded a triple and drove in three RBIs in the seventh, bringing in Tolentino, Van Joshua Ibabao, and Joem Paragas to finish off Ateneo.
Miguel Cruzat provided Ateneo’s only hit, breaking Hermozura’s shutout in the final inning.
The Blue Eagles also committed three errors, which UST converted into five unearned runs. Those mistakes overshadowed Raffy Blaza’s solid pitching during his six-inning stint, where he allowed just four runs on eight hits.
