Ateneo clouters in control; Adamson keeps softball run

MANILA, Philippines - Ateneo swept the first round in men’s baseball and Adamson University extended its record-setting win run in softball in UAAP Season 77 over the weekend.

In men’s football, University of the Philippines zeroed in on a semifinals berth while its streetdance team – UP Street – dominated the 77 Streetdance Competition.

Matt Laurel blasted a two-run home run in the ninth inning to power the defending champion Blue Eagles past their victims in last season’s final, the De La Salle Archers, 4-1, at the Rizal Memorial Diamond to sweep the five-game first round.

The Green Archers dropped to their second loss in five games. UP routed University of Santo Tomas, 11-4, in the other baseball match to share fourth place behind National University with a 2-3 record.

In softball, also at the Rizal Memorial field, “five-peat-seeking” Adamson stretched its unbeaten run to 52 matches after beating NU, 13-3. The Lady Falcons allowed their foes the luxury of scoring three runs early in the match before exploding with 13 runs in the sixth inning to put the game away.

The victory was the fourth straight for Adamson this season. De La Salle downed University of the East, 4-1, to trail the leaders at second spot with a 4-1 card. In the other game, UST blanked Ateneo, 9-0, for its second win in four matches.

Over at the Moro Lorenzo Football Field at the Ateneo campus, Jinggoy Valmayor netted a brace to power UP past UST, 4-1, giving the Fighting Maroons 24 points for the top of the table.

Valmayor hiked his league-best goal total to 13 after scoring in a four-minute span in the first half. Carlos Monfort (44th) and Vincent Aguilar (45th) converted UP’s other goals in the first 45 minutes.

De La Salle edged UE, 1-0, on Gerald Layumas’s 13th-minute goal to stay in second place with 23 points. Ateneo improved to 22 points with a 2-1 win over Adamson University, while defending champion Far Eastern University beat NU, 5-1, to stay in the hunt for a semifinals seat.      

In women’s football, titleholder FEU blanked UP, 2-0, to advance to the one-game Final, while UST kept its championship hopes alive with a 1-0 victory over De La Salle.