JM Segui drove in the game’s biggest hit, propelling De La Salle University to a twice-to-beat advantage in the UAAP Season 86 Baseball Tournament Final Four with a 10th-inning, 10-9 walk-off win over University of Santo Tomas on Thursday at the UP Baseball Field.
The Green Batters finished the elimination round tied with the National University Bulldogs at 7-3, sitting at the top of the standings.
The three-peat-seeking De La Salle side needed to fend off UST after the latter equalized in the ninth inning at eight runs apiece in extra innings and reclaimed the lead in its offensive side of the extra frame.
The holders missed the golden chance to seize it earlier in the 10th, but two straight strikeouts off UST pitcher Harry Geronimo with Vince Flores and Joshua Pineda added another layer of suspense to the situation.
Segui, a senior centerfielder, was determined to end the wait and pushed the ball to the middle of the field to send Ezykiel Bautista home for the marginal score, following up on Rentero’s tying run a few plays before.
“Sabi ko nga importante na manalo kami para hindi na kami mahirapan na mag-playoff pa with Ateneo. At least nakuha na namin ‘yung twice-to-beat. Alam namin na mahihirapan kami, alam namin na totodo ‘tong UST. Pero nakita ko naman na lumaban sila at inilaban nila,” said De La Salle head coach Joseph Orillana.
The Green Batters ended with just eight hits, but the timing of those hits, especially Segui’s winner, proved to be the difference.
The Golden Sox led early in the game with a 5-0 advantage and almost pulled off the upset to secure a spot in the Final Four outright.
Its five errors and ten bases on balls given, nonetheless, doomed them to a 4-6 win-loss record and they will await the result of the battle between Ateneo de Manila University (5-4) and the University of the Philippines (3-6) to determine their fate.
The Lines:
UST 4 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 2 1 – 9 9 5
DLSU 0 0 1 0 0 3 1 2 0 2 – 10 8 2
