FORMER Manapla mayor Manolet Escalante said over the weekend that the staging of the Negros First 2nd Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. Area 2 Inter Hacienda Summer League and the 1st Lourdes Soccorro Escalante Open Summer League in his town will open a huge window for local softball players to showcase their talents.
Speaking before hundreds of softball players from the Second District, and cities of Silay, Talisay, and Bacolod, the former local executive said that the province has lots of talents that need an avenue to display their full potentials.
"With the strong response from these teams, we in Manapla together with the provincial government will further develop this venue into a standard diamond that is capable to host national and maybe international events. We want to showcase what Manapla can do to further promote our sports tourism," he said.
It was recalled that the Little League of the Philippines visited the venue to assess its potential as another softball hub in the country.
On Saturday's opener, the Silay City batters outsmarted Carlos A. Hilado Memorial State College (CAHMSC) Barkadas-Talisay, 10-3 in 4 innings in the Open Division while Team Talisay City outplayed Cadiz City, 9-1.
In the Inter-Hacienda, Hda. Gaston-Manapla dominated the visiting Hda. Alma-Sagay City, 14-4, while Punta Salong-Manapla ruled Hda. Fuentes, 15-5.
On Day 2, CAHMSC bounced back from their opening day loss with a huge 13-4 triumph over Cadiz Sluggers while Team Talisay City escaped Silay City, 12-11, to take the solo lead.
For the Inter-Hacienda, Hda. Burgos-Cadiz defeated Hda. Lourdes-Manapla, 8 -1, while Cadiz Sluggers downed Hda. Dos Hermanos-Manapla, 10- 1.
Games are played on weekends. (HGD)