MENTAL lapses proved costly for the UST Golden Sox as they bowed down to defending champion National University, 7-12, in the UAAP baseball tournament at the Rizal Memorial Stadium last Jan. 31.
UST slid to third place with a 5-3 slate while NU grabbed the solo second spot, 6-2, behind Ateneo de Manila University (7-1).
The Golden Sox, who beat the Bulldogs in their first-round encounter (7-5), pulled to within one, 5-6, at the bottom of the fifth inning. Team captain Glenn Tuazon walked to the home plate when rookie Bernardo Siaotong was hit by pitch, which accounted for a walk to the first base.
Just when UST needed one good defensive stop in its turn at fielding, UST’s third base man and short stop weren’t able to catch a grounder allowing NU to steal a run. In the ensuing play, UST’s catcher threw a high pass that slipped through the outstretched arm of the third base man, allowing NU’s Jez Rosito to sneak another point for NU, 5-8.
But the catching woes continued for UST in the seventh inning as the Bulldogs put the game away. In what seemed to be an easy out for NU, UST’s third baseman threw an errant pass to the first base, which allowed Herkel Fortunato to score a double. Bulldog Mar Gante delivered the finishing touch for NU with a two RBI (Runs-Batted-In) double off a deep center field hit, 6-10.
“Mostly it was our errors that hurt us in this game,” said coach Jeffrey Santiago.
Despite the setback, Santiago still brims with hope that his team still has what it takes to make it all the way.
“We still have hope in this season, we just need to take care of our remaining games against La Salle and Ateneo,” Santiago said. “We just need more preparation especially on our conditioning and mental toughness.”
Fifth-inning meltdown
The UST Softbelles failed to sustain a good start and gave in to lower-ranked University of the East, 2-7, in their UAAP softball match at the same venue last Jan. 30.
After a relatively decent start which saw UST temporarily holding on a 2-1 advantage in the first four frames, UE blasted away five runs in the ensuing inning to shock the Softbelles.
UE’s Joan Marron made it tougher for UST as she swung a three RBI single on a strong left field hit.
Despite the upset, the Softbelles remain in third place with University of the Philippines (5-4). UE improved to fifth spot with a 4-6 card.
Coach Sandy Baredo said offense was a non-factor for them and will give more emphasis on it in their next outings. Jose Antonio R. Nisay and Carla Patricia S. Perez
