THE UST Golden Sox booked a spot in the Final Four after outlasting the UP Fighting Maroons in their UAAP Season 87 baseball elimination-round closer at Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium on Wednesday, April 23.
The Golden Sox trailed 11-10 in the ninth inning with two outs when team captain Mhigeil Cerda delivered a walk-off hit to right-center field. His two runs batted in (RBI) drove in John Reymond Vargas and Justine Rosales, sealing a 12-11 comeback victory and sending UST to the semifinals.
UST clinched the third seed with a 5-5 record and will face the twice-to-beat No. 2 seed DLSU Green Batters on Tuesday, April 29, at the same venue.
“Hindi pa tapos ang laban,” UST head coach Jeffrey Santiago said. “Basta huwag lang sumuko. Breaks of the game, nag-error ang kalaban, tapos hit ng captain ball kong si Cerda — siguro milagro ang nangyari.”
Down 7-2 after a slow start, the Golden Sox came alive in the bottom of the fifth when Vargas smashed a three-run homer to deep left field, scoring Alwyn Piñero and Cedrick Marquez to cut the deficit to 7-5.
UST pitcher Jesus Cabigao held UP scoreless from the sixth through the eighth innings, tallying three strikeouts and keeping the game within reach.
In the bottom of the sixth, the Golden Sox found their rhythm. Rosales delivered a two-RBI hit, followed by Geronimo’s RBI single that brought in Piñero, Sean de Leon, and Vargas, pushing UST ahead 8-7.
UP could not stop the bleeding, giving away easy outs in the top of the seventh. John Carlo Beronilla scored in the bottom half, giving UST a two-run edge, 9-7.
The Fighting Maroons mounted a rally in the top of the ninth. Cabigao issued back-to-back walks to Mark Natanawan and Darren Mayo before being relieved by Geronimo. LM Basañes then knocked in Natanawan, Razhley Santos, and Mayo.
A fielding error by Rosales allowed Basañes to score as UP reclaimed the lead, 11-9.
But then the ninth-inning “miracle” happened, as the Golden Sox stayed solid with two outs left.
Marquez sparked the comeback with a run off Vargas’s hit close the gap to 11-10. Then Cerda capped the comeback with his game-winning fly ball, eliminating UP and propelling the Golden Sox into the Final Four.
“Basta sa akin, relax lang sila, kumpiyansa lang lagi. Hindi imposibleng makapasok kami sa finals,” Santiago said. Clyde Leanne M. Salamatin
