ATENEO de Manila University relied on two explosive innings to deflate University of Santo Tomas, 8-5, and secure its second consecutive win in the UAAP Season 85 Baseball tournament on Wednesday at the UP Diliman Baseball Field.
The Blue Eagles scored four runs in the second inning, with Matthew San Juan, Luis Capati, Joaquin Mendoza, and Jose Limpo crossing home plate. Mendoza started it off with an RBI double, and Limpo drove in another run off a Joaquin Casanova grounder.
“I think everyone contributed. The most important thing here is their consistency throughout the season. This is only their second game, and I think there’s still room for improvement for everyone. They’re hitting, but it’s not consistent. So, hopefully, we’ll have to make sure everyone in the lineup is consistent,” said Ateneo assistant coach Adriane Bernardo, who is also a shortstop for the Philippine National Team.
Ateneo responded to UST’s two runs in the fifth by adding to their lead, which they never relinquished at 8-2. Mendoza padded the lead with a three-run home run, bringing Geoff Magsadia and Joaquin Alcaraz along with him.
“UST is a very good team, despite coming off a loss against Adamson. They wanted to bounce back. Luckily, these boys know when to get the job done. They know when to push themselves and defeat the opponent. Of course, there’s still room for improvement, but at the end of the day, we got the win,” Bernardo added.
Mendoza ended with a hit — a three-RBI homer — and two runs to fuel Ateneo’s offense. Magsadia also had a whopping four stolen bases in the contest on top of a hit in the fifth inning.
On the mound, rookie pitcher Ethan Mitscheiner held UST to two hits and struck out six batters in seven innings.
The Golden Sox finally broke Mitschiener’s guard in the top of the fifth inning with two runs before adding three in the next two.
Mitschiener was then subbed out for Joshua De Juras, who held the last two innings to send UST to a second straight defeat.
Prince Geronimo was the only spark in UST’s battery, converting on two runs with a hit. Irvin Llave was the starting pitcher as Jeff Santiago rotated three pitchers in the contest.
The Line:
Game 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
UST 0 0 0 0 2 1 2 0 0 5 6 2
Ateneo 0 4 1 0 3 0 0 0 x 8 9 2
