ADAMSON University targets its 50th straight victory, while surprise leader University of the East (UE) looks to drop the upset axe on back-to-back bridesmaid finisher National University (NU) in the resumption of the University Athletic Association of the Philippines (UAAP) Season 77 softball tournament on Saturday at the Rizal Memorial diamond.
The wards of long-time Head Coach and former Lady Falcon Ana Santiago, coming off a dominant opening win over University of Santo Tomas (UST) in four innings, faces University of the Philippines (UP) at 10 a.m. in the hopes of extending their four-year-long streak.
On the other hand, the Lady Warriors–coming off wins over UP and Ateneo de Manila to lead off their season—will face the heavy hitting NU (1-0) to open up the day at 8 a.m., while rivals De La Salle University (1-1) and Ateneo de Manila (0-2) round out the day’s matches at 12 noon.
Last season’s Final Four finisher UST, which lost its first two matches, will take a bye during the tournament’s third day.
Despite losing four key veterans due to graduation, Adamson passed its first acid test this season against the Tigresses in spectacular fashion, displaying a near-perfect performance in pulling off an 11-1 result to give its campaign a shot in the arm.
Queeny Sabobo, one of the few remaining veterans left on their roster, blasted one of the two home runs by the team in their win and is a lock as the team’s leader this season.
But the Lady Fighting Maroons (1-1) look to be the first team to successfully crack the virtually unbeatable Falcons’ stranglehold on the competition after coming off two tight contests against UE in a losing effort on opening day and a close 5-2 win over a pesky De La Salle nine last Thursday.
In juniors’ baseball action, De La Salle Santiago-Zobel opens its title-defense campaign when they take the field against UST at 2 p.m.