Adamson wins crown

Jerome Yenson sparked a stirring rally with his bat before producing a masterful pitching performance as Adamson clobbered La Salle, 13-6, to capture its first UAAP baseball crown in eight years Friday afternoon at the Rizal Memorial Baseball Stadium.

Yenson drove three runners home, including two in the third inning that launched the Falcons’ comeback from a 5-0 deficit while striking out six batters in six innings of relief to complete his team’s sweep of the best-of-three series.

The 21-year-old native of Talavera, Nueva Ecija was later adjudged as Finals Most Valuable Player after a strong showing in the championship series that began Tuesday when the Falcons rolled to a 14-4 victory in seven innings against a Green Archers squad that topped the eliminations.

Kyle Villafana produced four RBIs for Adamson, which won for the first time since 2010 when submarine pitcher Romeo Jasmin helped the Falcons capture a three-peat.

Incidentally, it was Jasmin, one of coach Orlando Binarao’s assistants, who recruited Yenson, a fellow Novo Ecijano, several years back when the Falcons began planting the seeds for their return to glory.

“Mabuti rin yung mga bata, ‘di sila bumigay. Nandun yung fighting spirit nila,” said Binarao, whose team battled back after giving up two runs in the first and three in the third.

Yenson’s line drive to left field scored Bryan Castillo and Erwin Bosito with one out in the third, putting Adamson on the board. Villafana drove home two runners a few batters later to trim the Falcons’ deficit to 5-4.

Yenson also delivered the tying run in the fourth, his bases loaded sacrifice fly for the second out in the fourth allowed Castillo to reach home from third before Villafana hit a two-run double a couple of batters later to put Adamson ahead for good, 7-5.

The Falcons tacked on six more runs in the next two innings even as Yenson pitched four consecutive scoreless innings after replacing starting pitcher Lester Carandang in the fourth.