UAAP baseball: La Salle clinches Final Four spot, ends Ateneo's playoff hopes

De La Salle University secured the second spot in the UAAP Season 87 Baseball Final Four with a hard-fought 9-5 victory to eliminate archrival Ateneo de Manila University, Wednesday afternoon at the Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium.

The Green Batters also kept their hopes alive for earning the other twice-to-beat advantage, improving to a 6-2 record and second place, just behind the National University Bulldogs (7-1), who have already secured a semifinal berth.

De La Salle will aim for the other Final Four bonus when it faces University of Santo Tomas in Sunday’s third game, following the crucial match between Adamson University (4-4) and the University of the Philippines (3-5).

"Ang gameplan namin kasi is at least makalaro 'yung ibang second stringers namin. So, ang sabi ko daain lang sa magandang depensa, tulungan 'yung pitcher. Although, si Agorn (De Vera) kaya niyang trabahuhin ang mga batters. At as much as possible makatulong rin sila sa offense, malaking bagay na 'yon sa team. Tong mga relievers naman nakapag-deliver," said long-time head coach Joseph Orillana, whose team secured its third consecutive win in the second round.

Although some usual starters were rested for this game, rookie Barry Oñas remained in the starting lineup and took his usual spot as one of the first batters for De La Salle. The freshman from Faith Colleges in Batangas came one home run short of a cycle, hitting a single in the first inning, a triple in the fourth, and a double in the sixth.

Oñas played a key role in the Green Batters' offense, which totaled nine hits. De La Salle’s seven runs in the first four innings proved to be enough, as they limited Ateneo to just two runs in the final five innings.

Yuan Sumague and Liam De Vera stepped up in relief, helping to preserve the strong performance from team captain Lord Aragorn De Vera, who started on the mound. De Vera was credited with the win after allowing just three runs on two hits over four innings. His rookie relievers, Sumague and his younger brother Liam, were both awarded saves for their contributions.

"Napaka-importante sa 'min nito kasi sabi ko nga hindi kami basta dapat umasa sa first nine namin. May mga times na 'tong first nine namin wala talaga sa laro nila. So, dapat mag-step up sila and makapag-deliver para sa team. Nakapag-contribute naman ngayon, kaya napakalaking tulong sa team," Orillana added.

Ateneo, now 1-7, was the first team eliminated from Final Four contention. No Blue Eagle recorded more than one hit—Luis Mendoza led the team with a single in two at-bats, and Fabella drove in an RBI with his lone hit in the fifth inning. Pitcher Manuel Senador took the loss, allowing the first four runs and giving up four hits in just two innings of work.

Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E

Ateneo 0 0 0 3 1 0 0 1 0 5 7 3

DLSU 3 1 2 1 0 2 0 0 x 9 9 2