The Carmen Stallions are on a roll, retaining their title in Ormoc City Open baseball tournament and earning the right to represent Cebu Province for elementary and high school baseball in the Central Visayas Regional Athletic Association.
The Stallions had to climb a mountain in defending its crown in the Ormoc City tournament that had participants from Lapu-Lapu, Tacloban, Bato Balani, Palompon, Naval, Renegades, and Dulag. Fielding an all-local squad, the Stallions suffered their first loss against Lapu-Lapu in the step-ladder semis, forcing it to a lung-busting three-match schedule for its title-retention bid in the final day.
After beating Naval to earn the right to face Lapu-Lapu, which enjoyed a twice-to-beat edge, in the final, it handed its fellow Cebuano team its first loss, 4-1, to force a winner-take-all match.
In the second game, the Stallions showed how well they have adjusted to the game of Lapu-Lapu, which had imports from the Philippine Air Force, needing only five innings to win, 9-0, and keep the title.
Aside from the team accolade, Carmen also earned individual honors with Kyle Ace Donaire earning the Best Pitcher award and Vince Ernest Mangapis winning the best first baseman. ANgelito Basaka, Jodel Hace Villamor and Peter John Hermosilla were named best hitters, while Richard Villena, Austin Morales, and Wendell Lumbab got the best outfielder honors.
A week after that title run, the Carmen Stallions got tapped to represent Cebu Province in the Cviraa competition, earning the right due to its previous success in DepEd meets.
Carmen represented Cviraa in both the elementary and high school divisions during the 2019 Palarong Pambansa, a testament to the growth of the sport since local stakeholders started spreading it in 2012.
Unfortunately, despite its success, the team has only received support from the Municapality’s private sector, and not from the LGU and it is hoping its recent run will change that.