Manila: Defending champion Adamson University downed University of the Philippines, 6-3, Tuesday to take a 1-0 lead in the UAAP Season 87 women’s softball best-of-three title series at the Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium in Malate. The Lady Falcons, eyeing their 12th straight crown, will try to close out the series on Saturday at 9 a.m.

According to Philippines News Agency, the game was tied 3-all before Mary Jane Libaton, Madaelene Domaug, and Roma Mae Cruz scored for Adamson. “I’m proud of them because some players stepped up when it was most needed since we had a rough start earlier. This was probably one of the innings where we committed the most errors. Maybe there was a little bit of pressure on them,” said Adamson coach Ana Santiago.

“The good thing is they bounced back. I told them during my timeout-the earliest timeout I’ve ever called, just in the first inning-that there was still a long way to go. I told them not to focus on the score; what matters is that we fight back. No one should give up, and we must believe that we can still win this,” she added. Santiago, who also serves as Blu Girls coach, emphasized the importance of readiness in crucial situations.

Meanwhile, University of Santo Tomas defeated De La Salle University, 8-7, to settle for the bronze medal. “We knew we could beat La Salle. We had the advantage in pitching and hitting, so I just had to keep the players composed,” said head coach Sandy Barredo after the Tiger Softbelles finished third for the third straight season.

Barredo expressed gratitude to his graduating players and discussed his plans for rebuilding the team. “We have incoming recruits, though some of our top prospects declined, but others are willing to come in. We’re losing five players, but we still have three reserves ready to step up. If we get three more recruits, or ideally four or five, we’ll have the flexibility to shuffle the lineup,” he said.