University of Santo Tomas unleashed a stunning eighth-inning comeback to shock previously undefeated National University, 12–10, in the UAAP Season 87 Baseball Tournament, Sunday at the Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium.
Trailing 10–4 entering the bottom of the eighth, the Golden Sox erupted for eight runs — capitalizing on a mix of NU errors and clutch hits — to seize control of the game and ultimately deal the Bulldogs their first loss of the season.
John Carlo Beronilla ignited the rally with a two-RBI single that brought home Miguel Geronimo and Timothy Caldo, trimming the deficit to just four. NU’s grip on the game began to slip further as national team standout JR Vargas drilled a double to left field to inch closer.
From there, it was all UST.
Caldo, who came off the bench for Alwyn Piñero, gave UST its first taste of the lead at 12–10 with a two RBI single. He scored UST reliever Jesus Cabigao and Justine Rosales — an advantage that turned out to be the winning edge.
UST then clamped down defensively to preserve the win.
Rosales, Season 85 MVP, delivered two crucial defensive gems to seal the upset — first recovering from a bobble to throw out NU slugger Herald Tenorio at first, then executing a picture-perfect tag on Gio Gorpido at third base.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
“Our hard work paid off pero ‘yung hard prayer talaga kaya kami sinuwerte. Nung last inning kasi nakapasok kami ng tatlo, kaya never give up until the last bat, until the last batter is out. ‘Yan talaga ang prinsipyo na aming sinusunod,” said UST head coach Jeff Santiago.
The victory breathed new life into the Golden Sox’s Final Four campaign, improving their record to 3–4 and lifting them to solo fourth place in the standings.
UST now sits just behind Adamson University (3–3), which was playing De La Salle University at press time, and ahead of the University of the Philippines (2–4), which was scheduled to face Ateneo de Manila University later in the day.
NU, which came into the game undefeated, fell to 6–1 but remains firmly on top of the leaderboard.
The win also marked a personal triumph for second-year pitcher Jesus Cabigao, who was called to the mound in relief of rookie starter Cedrick Marquez after just one inning.
The former Tiger Cub delivered a gutsy 8.2-inning effort, limiting NU to just five more runs — only four of them earned — on nine hits while striking out seven batters, including two each from Tenorio and Gorpido.
“’Yung relief job ni Jesus naging maganda. Maganda ‘yung pinukol niya at na-hold niya. Kasi si Marquez, ‘yung ating first pitcher, bata pa kaya kinakabahan. Hindi pa siya nakakapag-pitch ng kanyang normal na speed. ‘Yun lang ang pinasok ng kalaban. Kaya ang sabi ko sa kanila, early innings, kaya pa natin ‘yan, huwag lang tayong sumuko,” added Santiago.
(C) UAAP Season 87 Media Team
Before the eighth-inning storm, the Golden Sox found a spark in the sixth, finally breaking through NU’s pitching with a four-run burst.
After a single from Mark John Cabase, Rosales blasted a two-run homer — his first of the season — deep to right field, energizing the UST dugout and shifting the momentum.
NU starter Kenneth Maulit had previously kept the Golden Sox in check for five innings, allowing just four hits and four runs before yielding the mound to relievers Jobert Gorpido and reigning Best Pitcher Amiel De Guzman.
But the Bulldogs’ bullpen faltered under UST’s relentless pressure late in the game, with De Guzman absorbing his first loss of the season.
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NU | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 13 | 3 | |||||
| UST | 4 | 8 | x | 12 | 10 | 4 |
