Green Batters secure first seed against Ateneo
The De La Salle University (DLSU) Green Batters (6–3) emerged victorious against the Ateneo Men’s Baseball Team (5–4), 6–5, earlier today at the University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman Baseball Field.
The battle of the rivals was a relentless showdown between the top two seeds in UAAP Season 86, where the Green and White came out on top and secured the top spot in the leaderboards as they were driven to victory by Joshua Pineda’s pitching masterclass.
From the beginning, the second-round matchup of the rivalry classic was intense. Shinji Kajihara, Renato Samuel, Pio Villamiel, and Marco Micael stole home in the first inning, taking an early lead at 4–0 for the Green Batters. Peter Nonaillada then pitched for the Green and White, where the team from Katipunan faced a flurry of fastballs and catches in the outfield as Ateneo ended up scoreless on the first.
Despite the hard-hitting first inning, Ateneo picked up the pace in the second and third innings to catch up, immediately getting three outs from DLSU with Gab Francisco at the pitching mound. Nonaillada tried to match Francisco’s intensity, but the team from Katipunan scored three home steals from Mendoza, Mitschiener, and Magsadia in the second and two from Limpo and Mendoza in the third to pressure the Lasallians with the lead at 4–5. However, star-pitcher Joshua Pineda subbed in for Nonaillada, immediately getting an out to prevent the Blue Eagles from creating a bigger gap.
The match intensified even more as neither team allowed the other to score in the fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh innings. Both teams traded immediate outs and base steals, but no player could come close to stealing the home base. However, controversy suddenly struck at the start of the eighth inning as Francisco, Ateneo’s pitcher, hit the fifth Lasallian player at-bat throughout the game while two Green Batters were on second and third base respectively, causing him to be replaced by De Juras on the mound. Looking to make a comeback, Samuel suddenly hit an incredible swing, allowing Vince Flores and Jasper Crisostomo to run home and put La Salle in the lead at 6–5.
Things could not have been more intense in the final inning, where the Blue Eagles denied DLSU any chance to score as Joshua De Juras secured three outs immediately. With the reigning MVP pitching in the last inning, La Salle was prepared to defend their lead with all their might as Ateneo prepared to hit. The Blue Eagles were able to secure first and second base, but with two outs from Pineda, San Juan had the game on the line as he was batting. As Pineda pitched, San Juan was able to hit a long strike onto the outfield, but it was caught by La Salle as they secured the final out and the victory against their rivals, 6–5.
Catch the Green Batters back in action against the UST Golden Sox on April 4, 3 PM, at the same venue as they aim to keep the top spot on the leaderboard.
