When Atlas firstbaseman Rajah Singh landed on the bag after retrieving a high throw from thirdbaseman Edsel Atienza on the last play of the Series last Sunday preserving an 8-7 victory for Team Atlas, it not only secured the Titans Series Championship, it place the Titans Baseball Club's efforts on the Philippine baseball scene in perspective. The Titans Series is that landmark tournament that paves the way for fostering the growth and sustainable develpment of baseball in the country, a testament to the private sector's involvement as brought to the field by the players.

But just like the surrounding controversy over the state of the game in the nation over the past three decades, the Series had its ups and downs, none more glaring than last Sunday. The lackluster play-offs which saw Team Uranus advance to the final via default over Team Cronus and the humiliating 20-2 thrashing of Team Crius that thrust Team Atlas into the final gave way to a dramatic finish as good as any in baseball.

Bottom of the ninth, Team Uranus with runners on second and third after team captain Leslie Suntay had reached on a one-out error and clean-up hitter Arjay Santos followed with a single. Alvin Santos then grounds into a fielder's choice, advancing the runners. Two away. Light-hitting Sergei Ledesma, who could as well be the hero after a potential game-saving bases loaded catch in the top of the fifth inning with his team down by two, steps into the batter's box with Uranus down 8-7. Atlas pitcher Sky Rosales, who had delivered the tie-breaking run with a solo homer in the top of the sixth, delivers a pitch which Ledesma grounds down the thirbase line. Suddenly the spectators are quiet and everyone holds their breath as Atienza charges in, makes the scoop and fires a high one to first. Singh leaps, manages to retrieve the ball, and aided by gravity lands on the bag a fraction of a second prior to colliding with the scrambling Ledesma. Firstbase umpire Vince Alimurung calmly calls Ledesma out and the celebration begins amidst an otherwise dejected Team Uranus, which appealed the call to no avail.

Final score: 8-7. Team Atlas wins the 2002 Titans Series, their third straight win in the grueling, survival-of-the-fittest, amateur adult baseball tournament this side of the globe. Team Atlas finishes with a Series slate of 3-1-1 (won-loss-draw). Ahhh, the fruits of victory...

But for the second time in the Series, Team Atlas almost blew a huge lead. They peppered Uranus starter Leslie Suntay for six runs, five earned, on five hits, a walk and a hit batter in the first inning as the first six batters reach base before an out is recorded.

Team Uranus however remains resilient, proving they belonged in the final. Suntay escapes a bases-laoded jam in the second and his teammates scratch for two runs in the second and three in the third off a porous Atlas defense that commits five errors in that stretch, cutting the lead to one. In the fifth, Team Atlas loads the bases with one out and the heart of the order coming up. Bacchus Ledesma flies out to shallow left then Sergei Ledesma gets Uranus out of the inning unscathed with a spectacular catch off Joey Carillo's pop-foul. Uranus feeds off the momemtum in their half of the fifth when Alvin Santos delivers an rbi-double and Sergei Ledesma singles to drive in his third run of the game and even the score.

Team Atlas then turned to the long ball as Rosales opens the sixth by launching the Series' third homerun, his third hit of the game, to put Atlas back in the driver's seat and setting the stage for the late inning drama, which turns out to be a pitching duel as Rosales and Uranus' Arjay Santos match zeros on the board, giving up just two hits and two walks between them.

ATLAS 20, CRIUS 2
In the Series' second semi-final, Joey Carillo allowed just two hits and struck out three over three scoreless innings and Bacchus Ledesma had four runs batted in as Team Atlas won a rematch of the Series opener with the tournament's most lopsided margin of victory. Atlas, which blew a five-run lead to Team Crius in their first meeting and escaped with a draw, was handed a national record 17 bases on balls by Team Crius' pitching, which didn't look good from the get go. Starter Jayson Santiago was yanked for precautionary reasons after failing to get past the first inning with a sore arm as Team Atlas reeled off seven runs. Crius relief pitching just couldn't find the plate, and when they did, didn't get any help from their defense, which committed six errors while Atlas didn't boot any chances on the field, a stark reversal from the first game. Seven players scored at least two runs for Atlas, which got just seven hits - all singles.

URANUS def. CRONUS by default
In perhaps the most embarassing moment of the Titans Series, Team Cronus fails to take the field on time for the scheduled first semi-final, easily handing Team Uranus the victory via default. The loss was Team Cronus' only setback of the Series.

Saturday, September 28

CRIUS 14, URANUS 8
Vince Alimurung went 4 for 4, drove home five runs and scored another to lead Team Crius to its first victory of the Titans Series. Crius, which fielded only eight players, rocked Uranus starter Jeff Nolasco for nine runs, on four hits and eight walks in the first three innings after trailing 2-0 early and overcame eight errors. Alimurung, who also stole three bases, matched the Titans record for hits in a game (Leslie Suntay, v. Ateneo, June 2001 and Oscar Bradshaw, v. Ateneo, March 2002). Winning pitcher Joe Quiogue also scored four runs in the rout. Tony Gumaru scored three runs and Bay Dela Cerna had two hits for Team Uranus.