UAAP softball: Adamson beats UST to force winner-take-all Game 3

Adamson University displayed its championship pedigree and out-slugged University of Santo Tomas, 8-5, in the second game of the finals series of the UAAP Season 80 softball tournament Friday at Rizal Memorial Stadium.

The defending champions Lady Falcons forced a deciding third game as they attempt to win their eighth straight title or their 18th in 21 years on Sunday.

Adamson used a blistering sixth inning to blow the gates open, scoring five runs that effectively took out UST’s chance of a sweep.

Entering the top of the sixth tied at 3-3, the Lady Falcons immediately went to work.

Leslie Benabaye sent Krisha Cantor to the home plate with an RBI single for Adamson’s 4-3 lead.

Benabaye and Riezel Calumbres then reached home plate after Delyrose Covarrubias’ RBI double as the Lady Falcons marched to a 6-3 lead.

Flor Pabiana’s RBI double then saw Covarrubias and Ednsa Severino run to home plate for the defending champions’ 8-5 margin.

Adamson head coach Ana Santiago said the sixth would be their most important inning of the whole game and she encouraged her whole team to take it by any means necessary.

“I felt that the girls wouldn’t let this game slip away from them,” said Santiago in Filipino. “They felt that even though UST scored three runs they could still win the game. And that’s the power of the mind.”

“I told them that the sixth inning would be really important for them and if they score in the inning the game would be ours.”