FINALS HOPES slipped away for the UST Tiger Softbelles as they came short to last season’s finalists UP Fighting Maroons, 3-2, in a win-or-go-home playoff bout in the UAAP Season 86 softball tournament on April 6.
The Softbelles finished bronze with a 5-3 win-loss slate, losing the chance to cease the domination of the Adamson Lady Falcons, who won ten consecutive championships in the league.
Both teams were at a deadlock coming into the bottom of the final inning.
The Fighting Maroons eventually delivered a knockout hit in clutch to send UST packing home at the UP Diliman Baseball Field.
The Diliman-based batters landed the first blow at the bottom of the opening inning as captain Nickole dela Cruz hit a double to bring Angel Pascual to run for home, 1-0.
UST gained a momentum in the second inning as Lyca Blanco converted a homer to tie the match, 1-all.
The Fighting Maroons took advantage of the Softbelles’ holes, scoring another run to gain a 2-1 command in the third inning.
Vying for a title shot, the two teams prevented one another from scoring for the next three innings.
Coming into the final inning, Tiger Softbelle Tin Bautista’s hit to the shortstop allowed Shyla Celis to steal home and bring the match to a stalemate, 2-all.
UP left fielder Danica Aquino secured a triple base hit at the bottom of the seventh inning. Aquino then delivered the match-winning run after Pascual batted a sacrifice fly in the center field.
“We had only one goal: to enter the championship [round], then execute everything with no regrets,” UST pitcher Kikay Palma told The Flame.
With the dub, the Fighting Maroons will book a best-of-three finals rematch with the unrivaled Adamson Lady Falcons on April 6 at the same venue. F
