The UST Golden Sox took down the UP Fighting Maroons in a come-from-behind win, 12-11, to seal the third seed in the UAAP Season 87 baseball tournament on Wednesday, April 23, at the Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium.
Finishing the eliminations with a 5-5 win-loss slate, UST set up a semifinal showdown against the twice-to-beat DLSU Green Batters.
Team captain Mhigeil Cerda emerged as UST’s unsung hero, delivering the game-winning moment in a tense ninth inning to weaken UP’s Final Four bid.
The Maroons struck first with a run in the opening inning, then unleashed a steady scoring surge by plating three in the third and two more in the fourth period to build a 7–2 cushion.
In the bottom of the fifth inning, UST began to heat up as John Vargas drove in a three-run bomb to left field to cut the deficit to just two, 7-5.
The Golden Sox surged ahead in the sixth inning with a three-run outburst that flipped the game, 8–7. They tacked on another insurance run in the seventh inning to take a 9–7 lead.
In the final inning, the Maroons loaded the bases and set up LM Basanes to smack a fly ball to center field. A throwing error on the play allowed Basanes to score, giving his squad an 11–9 edge.
UP stood one out away from punching its ticket to the semifinals, but UST had different plans as Cedrick Marquez scored off a grounder from John Vargas to inch within one.
The Katipunan squad then let Season 85 MVP Justine Rosales and Prince Geronimo walk, setting the stage for Cerda to deliver a clutch hit to right-center that brought Vargas and Rosales home for the walk-off win.
Despite the loss, the Maroons remained in Final Four contention with a playoff against the Adamson Soaring Falcons. F
