UP batters thrash Ateneo for 5th win

University of the Philippines stretched its winning ways to five with a 9-6 victory over Ateneo in Sunday's second round elimination action in the UAAP baseball at the Rizal Memorial Baseball Diamond. Vladimir Eguia took over the mound in lieu of the struggling Stephen Anonuevo and Jojo Apura and blanked the Eagles in the final four innings to seal the win. He only had a hit to show but struck out eight batters as the Maroons never allowed the Blue Eagles to regain momentum after taking an early 4-1 lead after three innings.

After a sluggish start, the Maroons had three hits and scored three runs against the Eagles’ lone pitcher Kevin Ramos to ice the count for the last time. Kenneth Natividad then found his batting form in the next innings, slamming a triple and a single then driving in two runs as the Maroons zoomed ahead to 9-6 after the eighth inning. UP, which peppered Ateneo hurler Ramos with 12 hits, improved to 5-1 while Ateneo, which had eight errors as against only two by UP, absorbed its sixth straight loss. Defending champion Adamson Falcons kept pace with the Maroons by dismantling UST, 9-3, in the other game. Ace hurler Romeo Jasmin limited the Tigers to just eight scattered hits with four strikeouts in a no-relief job as the Falcons (5-1) put their walkout-marred loss to UP last week at the close of the first round behind. Marvin Malig, who won three awards in leading the Falcons to their second straight UAAP crown last year, waxed hot and went 3-for-4 at bat against UST. Joselito Bermoza had two hits in three times at bat and drove home two runs as the Falcons had 11 of their 12 total hits against Tigers’ starter Irvin Tuazon in five-and-two-thirds innings. With the loss, UST dropped to 2-4. - GMANews.TV