FROM the top of the podium they plummeted to fourth place.
Such was the fate of defending champions UST Golden Sox after they bowed down to top-seeded National University (NU), 2-7, in their UAAP semifinals duel at the Rizal Baseball Stadium last Feb. 19.
An NU surge in the fifth inning dampened UST’s morale as the team fired six runs to widen an early 0-1 gap to 0-7. The black-and-gold batters slightly got back on their feet and reeled two runs later that inning courtesy of Gerald Mitra and Arcel Aligno.
With a full-base advantage on three occasions, UST’s reigning MVP Nikko Reyes, Teves, and Mitra could have sent their teammates to the home plate to overtake or at least cut the lead, but their swings could not pass through NU’s stiff defense.
Team captain Kasulhay Argel, who checked in the game late the fifth inning, and power-hitter Julian Teves played their final game as they are set to graduate in March.
"We need to strive harder to be champions again next year,” said coach Jeffrey Santiago.
“The problem was we had the tendency to relax because we were used to winning.” In their previous game, UST erased NU’s twice-to-beat advantage with a 4-2 upset via Aligno’s game-winning grounder last Feb. 16.
The UST Softbelles also settled for fourth place as Adamson University swept the elimination round en route to the championship.
The Softbelles whipped the cellar-dwelling De La Salle University, 9-2, at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex last Feb. 11.
UST Softbelles head coach Sandy Barredo said that his team’s lack of experience proved costly for them.
With the score tied at two apiece at the top of the sixth inning, UST went on an offensive rampage going for seven runs at the bottom of the sixth. J. E. B. Ballesteros and R. S. J. T. Lozada
