Defending champion Adamson University and University of Santo Tomas open their best-of-three championship series today (Friday) in the UAAP Season 81 softball tournament at the Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium.
When the first pitch rolls at 8:30 a.m., all the Lady Falcons want is to extend their stranglehold for the ninth consecutive year.
For the fourth straight season, the Tigresses will try what they failed to do in the past three Finals – to end their opponent’s dynastic rule.
De La Salle and Ateneo, meanwhile, begin their best-of-three baseball title series at 12 noon.
The top-ranked Green Batters are making their second consecutive Finals appearance and will face the Blue Eagles in the league’s biggest stage for the fourth time in the last six seasons.
While Adamson University had only to beat National University once to make it to the championship round, UST needed to beat No. 2 De La Salle twice in the Final Four to make the Finals rematch happen again.
The Lady Falcons were swinging all-season long, losing only one match this season and the addition of transferee Arianne Vallestero, who complimented reigning MVP Jeanette Rusia and Krisha Cantor in the batting order, made the San Marcelino-based squad more stronger than ever.
Rookie Celyn Ojare, who ably filled the huge void by three-time Best Pitcher Ann Antolihao, will lead the Tigresses defense.
Adamson University needed only four innings to beat UST, 14-0, in the first round before repeating in the second round with a 7-1 decision.
The Green Batters and the Eagles split their elimination round head-to-head. Ateneo won their first meeting, 13-11, before De La Salle avenged that loss with a 16-5 romp.
The last time the two teams met in the title round was in 2016, when the Green Batters ended a 13-year title drought and foiled the Eagles’ four-peat bid.