March 7, 2015, 5:34 p.m. – THE UST TIGER Softbelles’
march in the Final Four continued after scoring a crucial 6-2 victory over a
reeling De La Salle University in the UAAP Season 77 softball tournament at the
Rizal Memorial Stadium Saturday.
UST took advantage of numerous La Salle errors to power a
three-run fifth inning and win their third straight game.
The Tiger Softbelles improved to a 6-5 win-loss record,
climbing to second place with the Lady Archers, National University and the
University of the Philippines.
Leading 3-2 in the middle of the fifth inning, UST’s Tin
Palma converted a run after a catching error by La Salle third baseman Vanessa
Borbon.
Tiger Softbelle Mallows Garde also scored after a Sharmaine
Oria run-batted in (RBI) to give UST a 5-2 cushion.
La Salle tried to come back in the sixth inning, but failed
to convert even with all bases loaded.
The Tiger Softbelles played a near flawless game with only a
single error compared to La Salle’s six. UST’s offense also clicked, scoring
six points in only 10 hits.
“Pitching and defense [are the keys of the game].
Na-pressure sila kasi it’s do-or-die for us pero pinilit namin. Ayaw pa bumitaw
ng mga bata,” head coach Sandy Barredo said.
The Tiger Softbelles will try to secure a Final Four spot
against the University of the East on March 11 at the same venue. Delfin
Ray M. Dioquino
