With a back-to-back championship within reach, National University (NU) is determined to go all out in Game 2 of the best-of-three University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) baseball finals on Tuesday at the Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium in Malate, Manila.

The Bulldogs are not only gunning for their fifth UAAP title, but also eyeing a historic first-ever consecutive championship as they take on the De La Salle University at 8 a.m.

In Game 1, NU overwhelmed La Salle with a dominant 16-7 victory, anchored by two explosive innings led by standout performances from Nigel Paule and Kevin Maulit. Paule sparked the defending champions with a grand slam in the third inning, giving NU a 5-1 lead, while Maulit delivered a momentum-shifting triple that halted a La Salle rally and extended their advantage to 10-5.

"We knew there was a possibility that La Salle could come back,” NU head coach Romar Landicho said.

“So I reminded the players that the score doesn't matter – we needed to reset. We still had to focus on hitting because the game wasn't over yet. And that’s what they did, they responded well, which is why we got the win."

Landicho emphasized that making history with a back-to-back championship remains the team’s main motivation heading into Game 2.