Unbeaten La Salle IX edges AdU

MANILA, Philippines - La Salle struck hardest in the ninth inning behind Felix Imperial’s three-run scoring triple as it foiled Adamson University, 4-3, and kept its unbeaten run in UAAP Season 76 baseball yesterday at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.

Imperial belted the triple to right field, scoring Edward Flores, who walked, Pocholo Dominguez, who was hit by pitched ball, and Paul Naguit, who singled, for the Green Archers’ fourth-straight victory.

But the day belonged to University of the Philippines, which stunned Season 74 champion National University, 11-5, for the Maroons’ first victory in the season.

UP was in control majority of the way and scored at least one run in each of the nine innings, except in the fifth. The Fighting Maroons only faced a stiff resistance in the seventh frame where the Bulldogs threatened with a three-run explosion. The loss was NU’s second in three games.

In football, La Salle and University of the East battled to a 1-1 draw, stalling their respective bids to crash the Top 2 at the Far Eastern University-Diliman pitch.

Rookie Ariel Mallen scored in the first minute of the injury time, his second goal of the season for the Red Warriors, while the Green Booters’ Gio Diamante scored for the equalizer a minute later.

With 14 points, La Salle trails second-running University of the Philippines by a point with three matches remaining in its elimination round schedule. FEU is at the top with 18 points. UE is in fourth place with 12 points with a two-point edge over University of Santo Tomas.