ADAMSON University kept its Final Four hopes alive after completing a come-from-behind 10-5 victory over the University of Santo Tomas, snapping a two-game losing skid in the UAAP Season 87 Baseball Tournament, Wednesday at the Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium in Malate, Manila.
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\n\u200eThe Soaring Falcons soared to solo third in the standings with an even 4-4 record, just ahead of the University of the Philippines Fighting Maroons (3-4), who were still playing against the league-leading National University Bulldogs (6-1) as of press time.
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\n\u200eTrailing 4-5 at the bottom of the sixth inning, Kier Plaza jumpstarted a three-run rally with a booming double along the right foul line.
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\n\u200eTwo consecutive walks issued by UST starter Prince Harry Geronimo to Mark Montoya and JM Tupig loaded the bases for John Matanghuihan.
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\n\u200eTwo fielding errors by Season 85 MVP Justine Rosales, combined with a well-placed hit from rookie James Nisnisan, allowed Plaza, Montoya, and Tupig to score \u2014 giving Adamson a lead they would never surrender.
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\n\u200eThe San Marcelino-based squad tacked on three more runs in the eighth inning off reliever Jesus Cabigao to put the game out of reach and secure their fourth win of the season.
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\n\u200e”Yun nga, nagsimula ang second round na natalo kami do’n sa finalists (last season), sa NU at saka sa La Salle. Ang sabi ko, kung hindi man kami manalo do’n sa dalawa, dito sa mga remaining games na kailangang manalo para may pag-asa sa top four. Top three na nga kami ngayon. Sinabi ko rin sa kanila na lahat ng games must-win; kaya mabuti itong sa UST naipanalo namin,” said long-time head coach Lando Binarao.
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\n\u200e(\u201cWe started the second round with losses against last season\u2019s finalists, NU and La Salle. I told the team that even if we couldn’t win against those two, we had to make sure we win the remaining games to keep our Final Four chances alive. Now, we’re even in the top three. I reminded them that all games are must-win, so it’s good we were able to pull this one off against UST.\u201d)
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\n\u200eRookie pitcher Milko Go Jr. was key in Adamson\u2019s comeback, holding UST scoreless in the final four innings \u2014 including a gutsy ninth-inning stand when the Golden Sox threatened to mount a comeback.
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\n\u200eAfter Cabigao was retired on a foul fly by Plaza, UST\u2019s JR Vargas hit a single to right-center, but Go held firm, retiring Cedrick Marquez and Raniel Cardio in succession to end the game.
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\n\u200eGo, a freshman from San Miguel High School, earned the win after pitching 5.2 shutout innings, allowing only three hits and striking out three \u2014 including the final two batters.
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\n\u200eOffense also clicked for the Falcons, driving in 13 hits, mostly coming from those huge innings, with Kean Matanguihan leading the way with a four-on-five hitting clip and four RBIs.
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\n\u200eNisnisan added three hits on four at-bats and two RBIs.
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\n\u200eUST had a strong opening stretch, scoring all five of their runs while Kenneth Delos Reyes was on the mound.
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\n\u200eDoubles from Marquez, Mhigeil Cerda, and Sean De Leon helped the Golden Sox build an early lead in the first four innings.
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\n\u200eHowever, Adamson eventually broke through against Geronimo in the fourth inning and capitalized on UST\u2019s defensive miscues.
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\n\u200eWith the loss, the Golden Sox dropped to 3-5, snapping a two-game losing streak.
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\n\u200eWith Final Four spots still up for grabs and another key matchup against fellow contender UP on the horizon, Binarao is calling on his players to finish strong.
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\n\u200e”Ang gusto ko lang makita is ‘yung makapag-deliver sila sa opensa and at the same tame ‘yung pitcher is maka-hold. Tulung-tulong ba, opensa at depensa, ‘yan naman ang kailangan diyan,” said the seasoned mentor.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ADAMSON University kept its Final Four hopes alive after completing a come-from-behind 10-5 victory over the University of Santo Tomas, snapping a two-game losing skid in the UAAP Season 87 Baseball Tournament, Wednesday at the Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium in Malate, Manila. \u200e \u200eThe Soaring Falcons soared to solo third in the standings with an…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2482,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[263],"class_list":["post-2481","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-uaap-baseball"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t