Bulldogs bounce back, force 3rd game vs Eagles

MANILA, Philippines - Pitcher Aries Oruga came back from knee injury and held fort for National U through nine innings as the Bulldogs clipped Ateneo Blue Eagles, 5-2, to force a deciding Game 3 in the UAAP Season 74 baseball finals at the Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium yesterday.

After sitting out the series opener that saw NU yielding a 4-11 setback, Oruga played through pain to preside over the Bulldogs’ defense, giving up eight hits but allowing only two Ateneo runners to reach the plate and leaving 13 runners stranded.

The Bulldogs, who are seeking to snap a 44-year title drought in the sport, and the Eagles, hunting their first-ever baseball plum, will meet again in a winner-take-all duel on Thursday also at Rizal ball park.

“Expected namin na ganon ang ipupukol ni Oruga kasi marami siyang variation of pitches (We had expected Oruga to pitch that way, knowing he has several pitching variations up his sleeves),” said NU coach Isaac Bacarisas of his ace hurler from Tanauan, Batangas who hurt his right knee in a 7-2 win over Santo Tomas in the Final Four last Sunday.

“Medyo kumikirot pa rin pero hindi naman ako gaanong nahirapan (It was still a little painful but tolerable),” said Oruga, who capped his heroics by saving the Bulldogs from a couple of bases-loaded predicaments in the seventh and ninth by forcing the third outs through flyout or strikeout.

“Medyo na-pressure ang mga bata nang makita si Oruga; siya kasi ang tumalo sa amin noong second round. Kinabahan at although naka-recover, di naka-score sa dalawang bases-loaded situations sa seventh and ninth (The boys were somehow pressured when they saw Oruga; he was the one who beat us in the second round. There were jitters and although we recovered, we failed to consummate in two bases-loaded situations in the seventh and ninth),” Ateneo mentor Emerson Barandoc said.

The Bulldogs drew first blood, pouncing on a fielding error by AdMU second baseman Charles Catangui to score in the second inning, then extended it to 3-0 in the next frame via Aprix Santos’ grounder to center that drove home Mark Lumbres and MJ Gante. Jezreel Rosita’s single RBI with two outs in the fourth stanza made it 4-0.

Dylan Tantuico slammed an inside-the-park homer against Oruga in the bottom fourth to put Ateneo in the board, 4-1, before Charles Catangui’s standing double sent Adriane Bernado in for a 4-2 count in the fifth.

Gante scored NU’s fifth run after Ateneo reliever Tantuico issued a walk on a bases-loaded situation in the ninth.

Ateneo got into good scoring position in the seventh when they filled the bags off a double, an NU error and an intentional base-on-balls issued to hard-hitting Matt Laurel with two outs. Oruga then sent Tantuico out on fly ball to first base.

The Eagles threatened anew in their final bat, loading the bases after two hits and a walk with only one out. But Oruga ousted Dio Remollo on a fly ball then struck out pinch-hitter Luke Bernardo to seal it for NU.

The Bulldogs tagged Ateneo starter Adriane Bernardo with six hits over three innings and reliever Tantuico with three hits.