Blue Eagles near UAAP baseball title

ATENEO moved within a win of bagging the baseball championship yesterday, just a day after it also claimed a title berth in football in separate UAAP action.

Behind Matt Laurel and rookie Ryon Tionloc, the Blue Eagles rose from a two-run deficit to down defending champion National University, 6-2, in Game 1 of the best-of-three series at Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium.

Laurel blasted a homer in the seventh inning that gave the Blue Eagles a 4-2 lead.

Game 2 is set at 12 noon on Tuesday, at the same venue.

In football, Ateneo nipped rival La Salle, 4-3, in a penalty shootout to advance to the final round for the first time in five years.

Christian Noel netted the game-winner after Valentino Calvo, Michael Mabanag and Carlo Liay helped the Blue Eagles level it at 3-3.

But the Blue Eagles will have to wait for its finals foe as a Jesus Meliza hat-trick led Far Eastern U past University of the Philippines, 5-1, that forged a winner-take-all semifinal duel.

The battle for the last title berth kicks off at 2 p.m. on Sunday at Erenchun field in Ateneo.

In softball, University of Santo Tomas also forged a decider after upsetting NU, 8-5. The winner in the 10 a.m. decider tomorrow will go up against two-time champion Adamson.

In women’s volleyball, NU tries to keep its semifinal bid alive against FEU at 3:30 p.m. today at Filoil Flying V Arena in San Juan. Top seed La Salle battles winless UE at 2 p.m.