COSTLY defensive lapses from Adamson and a dominant showing from second-year pitcher Esmeralda Tayag lifted the UST Golden Softbelles past the defending champion Adamson Lady Falcons, 8-0, last Jan. 12 at the UST Baseball Field.
Fresh from her stint with the Junior Blue Girls that finished third in the recently-concluded World Junior Softball Championships in Florida, USA, Tayag was virtually untouched on the mound, throwing a complete game shutout with just four hits and two strikeouts. The sophomore hurler, who wasn’t even supposed to start until the Final Four, also made minced meat of the Adamson defense, accounting for half of the runs produced by the entire UST squad.
“Nire-reserve ko talaga si Tayag para sa semis. Nilaro ko lang para malaman kumusta na ang laro niya,” UST Softball head coach Sandy Barredo said.
In what Coach Barredo called their “best game” so far, the diminutive Tayag scored two runs, two hits, and four RBIs to avenge an error-ridden 6-2 loss to the same squad earlier in the week.
Last Jan. 9, Karen Aribal and the rest of the Adamson Lady Falcons came from behind with twin three-run outings in the fourth and sixth innings to relegate UST to fourth place. With UST nipping at Adamson’s heels down 3-2, Aribal put the match out of UST’s reach with a clutch three-run homer to right-centerfield off of erratic pitcher Emily Batac.
It was a different story in the second meeting between the two teams. The UST Softbelles got off the gates quick, posting an early three-run lead in the second inning. The Lady Sox had some help from their opponents, who committed three of their four errors in the stretch.
With lady luck clearly smiling upon the Tigresses’ bullpen, Tayag started the game-breaking inning by getting on base off an Adamson fielding error.
With no outs, Donna Mendoza kept the progress going with a single to put runners on first and second. The Lady Falcon’s infield showed horrendous defense with Suzette Domingo, another member of the Junior Blue Girls, up on the plate. After a catching error that brought home Tayag and Mendoza, Domingo reached home plate after a throw to third base went array.
In the third inning, Batac added to the Lady Sox’s string of hits as she nearly extended UST’s lead with a triple. With a timely hit still eluding the España-based Batters, Tayag ripped an RBI single to shallow right field to bring in Batac.
Tayag kept her outstanding game going in the fifth inning with a three-run homer that drove in Batac and Hengella Astilla.
With the win, the Lady Batters got a foot hold on the Final Four as they jump to a 4-2 slate.
