UST nips UP in resumption, keeps UAAP Men’s Baseball Final Four hopes alive

University of Santo Tomas resurrected its UAAP Season 88 Collegiate Men’s Baseball Tournament Final Four hopes after edging University of the Philippines, 8–7, in a game one week in the making on the final day of eliminations on Easter Sunday at the Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium.

The Golden Sox completed a reversal of fortunes in a game that spanned two Sundays of Holy Week and featured the ejection of head coach Jeff Santiago and Prince Harry Geronimo in the eighth inning.

It turned into a back-and-forth affair from the fourth inning onward, with the lead changing hands every half-inning before the Tiger Sox seized control in the eighth—just moments after Santiago was thrown out.

Jesus Cabigao, at the center of Santiago’s protest, delivered a game-tying double to left field that scored Charlie Belgar. Cabigao later crossed home for the go-ahead run on an attempted play on Llave.

The contest was initially halted after the top of the ninth inning following a lengthy discussion on a play at home involving Ken Madrid, with darkness forcing a suspension.

When play resumed seven days later, Irvin Llave shut down the UP offense in the bottom of the ninth. Despite an error by third baseman Eljin Mendoza that allowed leadoff batter Daniel Badrina to reach base, the fourth-year hurler retired the next three batters in order to seal the win.

“Actually, ang pinaka-key dito na sinabi ko sa mga bata is don’t doubt, just trust your skills. Dalawa lang ’yan eh: tapang at tiwala sa sarili. Kasi nape-pressure tayo, pero may training tayo. Kasi ‘pag naniwala ka sa sarili mo na malakas ka, easy na lang lahat ‘yan,” said Mario Cerda, who took over coaching duties following Santiago’s ejection.

Madrid, a rookie out of the UST High School program, finished with a game-best two hits and three RBIs, accounting for a big part of the team’s nine-hit output. Meanwhile, Cabigao returned from injury to add two hits and two RBIs.

Llave went the distance, allowing four earned runs on nine hits from the Fighting Maroons. However, it was the final three outs he secured upon resumption that reignited UST’s semifinal hopes.

The Golden Sox forced a three-way tie with UP and the Ateneo de Manila University Blue Eagles at 3–6. The España-based squad is facing Ateneo as of this writing.

UP saw its two-game winning streak snapped after a relatively quiet nine-hit outing, with most of the damage coming during its fifth-inning surge.

Razhley Santos tallied two RBIs on a third-inning single, while Badrina added an RBI double in the fifth inning and another double in the seventh.

Ram Matanguihan absorbed the loss after surrendering two crucial runs in the eighth inning, courtesy of Cabigao and Belgar.

The Fighting Maroons will look to bounce back against Adamson University later in the day following the UST–Ateneo matchup.