ADAMSON University ended an eight-year baseball drought while its softball squad extended its UAAP Season 80 campaign at the Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium yesterday.
Jerome Yenson produced a scintillating outing as the Falcons turned back De La Salle, 13-6, to complete a two-game sweep of the baseball Finals.
Adamson University displayed tremendous poise to beat University of Santo Tomas, 8-5, sending the softball championship series to a decider.
With pitcher Lexter Carandang starting for the Falcons, Boo Barandiaran, Iggy Escaño and season MVP Kiko Gesmundo gave the Green Batters a 5-0 lead – the first in the series.
Then Game 1 starter Yenson led the Falcons’ turnaround from that deficit at the bottom third.
Adamson University scored 14 runs bridging from third to sixth inning to build a nine-run cushion and never looked back.
Yenson, a native from Nueva Ecija who was named the Finals MVP Best Pitcher, struck out six batters and tallied three RBIs in the title-clinching victory for the Falcons.
Adamson University thus won its 11th baseball crown – and the first since the 2009-10 season – as it finally came out from being also-rans during that dry spell.
A RBI single by Leslie Benabaye sparked the Lady Falcons five-run sixth inning to break the 3-3 tie despite having two outs.
“Sinabi ko sa kanila na kapag umiskor tayo sa sixth inning, panalo tayo. Naging inspiration nila yung sinabi ko sa kanila,” said Adamson Univerdity coach Ana Santiago, who made a major overhaul on her batting order in Game 2.
After tallying only three hits in the opener, the Lady Falcons got into the groove by nailing 11 to level the best-of-three duel to one game apiece.
That kept Adamson University’s softball bid for their 8-peat championship alive, with Game 3 set on Tuesday at 9 a.m.
“Nag-step-up silang lahat,” said Santiago.
CJ Roa belted a grandslam homer to give the Tigresses an early 3-0 lead before the Lady Falcons clawed back and tied the match at 3-3 on a Flor Pabiania third inning homerun.
Dely Covarrubias and Jeanette Rusia came through with two RBIs for Adamson University.
Ann Antolihao, whom Santiago recognized as the country’s No. 1 pitcher, produced another solid outing with six strikeouts, but the Lady Falcons’ hitting was too much to overcome in the pivotal fifth inning.
