Ateneo IX takes Game 1 in title series

MANILA, Philippines - Ateneo blew a five-run lead but recovered in the 10th inning to edge la Salle, 10-8, and move one victory away from retaining the UAAP Season 76 baseball crown yesterday at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.

After allowing the Archers to catch up at 8-8 and force an extension, the Blue Eagles regained their bearings and pounced on two costly miscues to score the winning runs by Leandro Banzon and Adriane Bernardo.

The Blue Eagles will shoot for the clincher in the best-of-three-series on Tuesday.

“Even if we won Game One, I believe our team is still the underdogs here,” said Ateneo head coach Randy Dizer.

The Eagles overturned an early 1-3 deficit with a six-run explosion in the fifth frame and appeared headed for an easy triumph when they went up 8-3 after six innings.

But the Archers capitalized on the sputtering performance of Eagles’ starting pitcher Andrew Tan to chew up on Ateneo’s lead with two runs in the seventh and another pair in the eighth.

“I keep telling the boys we should show that we’re the defending champions; let La Salle fight it out if they want to take it away from us,” said Dizer.

Meanwhile, reigning women’s volleyball La Salle guns for a sweep of the 14-game elims and outright finals berth today against National U at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

A win in the 4 p.m. match will send the DLSU Lady Spikers to the championship, where they will enjoy thrice-to-beat advantage.