AYUYU FIRES CG SHUTOUT, LEADS FD TO TITLE GAME

By Patrick Lujan

Cameron Ayuyu was the man for the FD Friars in Thurday’s high school baseball semifinals, pitching a complete game 3-hitter and had two doubles at the plate to lead the Friars past the Tiyan Titans 4-0.

FD (#2) will take on the top-ranked Notre Dame Royals after ND beat the Southern Dolphins 7-4 in the other semifinals. Both teams finished the season 7-1, but it was ND beating FD in the season opener.

AYUYU’S MASTERPIECE

The quiet sophomore entered the semis in a pitching matchup against Tiyan senior Peter Concepcion, voted the top pitcher on the All-Island list just two days ago.

Ayuyu was masterful, spreading three hits, striking out eight batters and allowing zero walks. The hits he allowed were in the first, second and sixth innings.

“It feels great, especially it’s in the playoffs,” the soft-spoken Ayuyu said after. “I really had to do my best. I was pretty confident because I knew my defense would get my back.”

Ayuyu was also the lone Friar to have multiple hits, hitting two doubles out of FD’s seven hits. His RBI double in the bottom of the fourth put the first score on the board.

“It felt good,” he said about his RBI hit. “I knew I had to do something for the team, especially on offense.”

Two batters later, Kole Guerrero blasted a stand-up triple to dead center to drive in Ayuyu to make it 2-0. That was more than enough for Ayuyu.

Tiyan’s Concepcion was rolling along for the first three innings before giving up the pair of runs in the fourth. He would finish pitching 5 1/3 innings with nine strikeouts.

“I have to give props and the utmost respect to the opposing pitcher, Peter Concepcion,” FD senior leader Saez Alvarez said. “He came out here, prepared to throw against us. He threw a great game, but we know we’re going to come prepared.”

The Friars would add two more insurance runs in the 6^th inning off a Tiyan throwing error and a Jace Aguon RBI single.

Max Dirige and Alvarez had singles and Reef Balajadia added a double for FD.

REDEMPTION TIME

Two sleeps away and the Friars will take on their formidable baseball rival, the ND Royals, whom they lost to in the season opener 3-2.

“It’s going to take everybody. Not the pitcher, not the catcher, not the short stop, it’s going to take each and every one of us,” Alvarez said about the upcoming big game. “Even the ones in the dugout play a big factor. We got some unfinished business that we want to settle.”

The championship game is slated for 2 pm this Saturday at the Okkodo Field.

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