LA Salle and Adamson University hurdled separate opponents on Sunday to arrange a best-of-three title series in the UAAP Baseball Championship at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.
The Green Archers dethroned the Ateneo Blue Eagles, 11-8. Under a thousand fans, led by members the schools’ cheering squads were present as the Archers unseated the Eagles.
The Falcons, meanwhile, scored a 13-4 demolition of the National University Bulldogs, posting their seventh win in nine games, second to the Archers’ 8-1 win-loss card.
The Eagles gained the upper hand at the bottom of the opening frame, 1-0, as they tagged the Archers’ starting pitcher Francis Gesmundo with a pair of singles.
La Salle took control at the top of the next inning with three runs and took a 5-3 lead after the sixth.
Ateneo regained the lead as the lower half of the same frame with their own three-run salvo built around a pair of two-base hits and a single.
Another three-run assault in the seventh, a pair in the eighth complete with a marker in the ninth ended whatever hopes there were for the Eagles to reverse their fate as Arvin Herrera, who by then was manning the hill, finally silenced their bats.
The Eagles outhit the Archers, 13-10, but coach Randy Dizers’ boys just couldn’t bring runners home.
University of the East completed the softball semis cast with a 7-0 rout of NU on Saturday for a 6-5 win-loss slate and fourth place finish in the double-round, seven-team eliminations.
Defending champion Adamson ripped La Salle, 10-0, for a 10-2 record, followed by University of Santo Tomas at 8-4. NU and UE have identical 7-5 records. The semifinals begin on Thursday.
The Lady Falcons and the Tigresses enjoy twice-to-beat advantage over the Lady Bulldogs and the Lady Warriors, respectively.
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