PAREF Southridge School made University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) history as it emerged as the first guest team to win a title following a 11-1 victory over De La Salle Zobel in Season 88 high school baseball tournament on Monday at the Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium.

It was a dream run for Southridge, which was on the brink of elimination with three games left in the season until it made a run, winning all of its games before ousting National University Nazareth School in a playoff.

Southridge head coach Bernardo emphasized that confidence would be key to winning the championship, and the team used last Saturday’s 15-2 victory in the series opener to fuel their come-from-behind win, though they remained cautiously optimistic.

"The important thing I told them from the last game: there was nothing yet to celebrate. Just to make it short, I told them, the hardest game to win is the close-out game," said Bernardo, a former Southridge standout and catcher for Ateneo de Manila University during its UAAP Season 75 championship run.

"Whatever we did last Saturday will not make us win the game on Monday. It's another game, it's another story to unfold, so we have to play hard. We were able to execute the gameplay that we needed to do."

Down a run after the first three innings, the Admirals found their rhythm in the fourth and never looked back, capturing the first-ever championship by a guest team in the league — and Southridge’s first in any sport.

A three-run rally in the sixth inning extended their lead to 5-3, proving decisive in the final result. Luis Chavez drove in Joaquin Salvador, who earlier hit a double to left field, before scoring himself on an Alessandro Villarosa hit to right field.

All this offensive composure stemmed from the steady performance of starting pitcher and eventual Finals Most Valuable Player Amiel Belgar.

Belgar, who also pitched a complete game in the series opener, delivered another no-relief effort, allowing just four hits and a solitary run from the Junior Green Batters.