La Salle ends long drought vs UST
‘It’s a good thing we managed to hold on.’
Photograph Courtesy of The UAAP
For the first time in seven years, De La Salle University finally broke free from University of Santo Tomas’ (UST) dominance, eking out a dramatic 6-5 victory in the University Athletic Association of the Philippines Season 87 softball tournament yesterday at the Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium.
The Lady Batters had endured seven consecutive losses to the Tiger Softbelles since their last triumph in Season 81 — a commanding 7-0 win back on 18 March 2019.
But this time, fueled by a late-game rally, La Salle defied the odds and claimed a breakthrough win that moved them into a share of third place with UST at a 2-3 record.
“It’s a good thing we managed to hold on,” La Salle head coach Jasper Cabrera said.
“We committed some errors, which allowed them to score. We wanted to maintain our three-run lead, but we ended up making more mistakes. We couldn’t avoid it because we have four rookies who couldn’t fully control their emotions. Then UST scored because of a walk given up by our pitcher; but thankfully, we recovered.”
With former ace pitcher Jemica Arribas — the pitcher who steered the Lady Batters during the Season 81 win — watching from the sidelines, La Salle avenged its earlier 1-5 loss to UST in the first round.
Fueled by that earlier heartbreak, the Lady Batters turned the tide in the second inning, breaking a 3-all deadlock with three decisive runs to build a 6-3 cushion. Clarina Eder played a crucial role, driving in her second hit of the day.
The rookie left-fielder sent a single to the right foul line, where Angela Solidarios struggled to recover the ball, allowing Cassandra Inot and Tiffany Labargan to cross the plate. Eder then capitalized on a broken play at home to extend the lead to three runs, which ultimately proved to be the winning margin.
Joerjette Jordan was vital on the mound, securing her second win despite giving up two runs to UST in the fourth inning, including a home run from Angel Bedaño. The second-year ace from Ormoc City kept the Softbelles at bay, limiting them to just two hits in the final frame.