Already guaranteed a Final Four slot, National University still came out swinging and wrapped up its UAAP Season 87 elimination round campaign with a 9-6 win over De La Salle University on Wednesday at the Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium.
The victory marked NU’s third straight win, sending them into the semifinals as the top seed with valuable momentum on their side.
“Every win is important to us, even if we’re already in the semis. We talked to the boys, and they were still motivated to win,” said NU head coach Romar Landicho.
Despite the game having no bearing on the Final Four standings—with NU and La Salle already locked into the No. 1 and No. 2 spots respectively, along with twice-to-beat advantages—NU showed no signs of slowing down.
The Bulldogs stormed to a 7-0 lead in the fifth inning behind key hits from Joven Maulit, Gio Gorpido, and Charles Chua, capitalizing on a throwing error by La Salle shortstop Luke Villacruz to score four runs in that inning alone.
While DLSU responded with four runs in the sixth via Villacruz, Johan Rentero, Joaquin Go, and Gerard Paulino, Maulit quickly dampened the comeback with an inside-the-park two-run homer to deep right-center, pushing NU’s lead to 9-4.
La Salle, for its part, held back some of its key weapons, sitting Agon de Vera, JR Alcontin, and JR Samuel to keep them fresh for the playoffs. NU did the same, notably resting ace pitcher Amiel De Guzman.
“We expect a war in the semis, since all the teams are strong. That’s why it’s good we’re able to rest our key players, especially our ace Amiel,” added Landicho.
Herald Tenorio led NU’s offense with an impressive 4-for-5 hitting clip and two runs scored, while Maulit contributed two hits and 3 RBIs. On the mound, Espina, Calanday, and Gorpido combined for eight strikeouts.
For La Salle, Paulino, Kirk Bigcas, and Villamiel chipped in with two hits each, while Crisostomo, Bautista, Rentero, and Poliquit rotated on the mound.
With the eliminations wrapped, all eyes now turn to the Final Four, where the Bulldogs aim to continue their hot streak and chase the championship.
