After losing the last two games of league play to the Bonita Bearcats, the Diamond Bar baseball team looked as if they would not get past the first round of CIF. However, the Brahmas continued their incredible season by reaching the CIF Semifinals, ending their eight-year drought of not passing the first round of CIF. DB defeated the West Warriors, St. Paul Swordsmen, and Gahr Gladiators, finally losing 10-2 to the Serra Cavaliers, who later won the CIF Championship at Dodgers Stadium.
In the first round of the tournament, the Brahmas, led by senior Zeph Walters, shut out the Warriors 3-0. Walters had an excellent game as he had a complete game, struck out seven batters, and held the Warriors to just three hits. Junior Jonah Yang lead the Brahmas’ offense by driving in two runs.
The second round was the same for the Brahmas as they again shutout their opponent, the Swordsmen, 6-0. DB went on an offensive run as they scored three runs in both the second and third inning. The team ended the game with ten hits, which is above their average of eight hits per game. The Brahmas had great pitching from senior Sean Patton as he almost had a no-hitter performance. Patton only gave up one hit and struck out six batters in seven innings.
In the quarterfinals, the Brahmas, tied 3-3 after the fourth inning, managed to pull away from the Gladiators by scoring two more runs in the last three innings. Not only is Walters a great pitcher, but he is also an exceptional batter. The senior had two doubles with two runs batted in. With the CIF semifinals in reach, sophomore Gerardo Ramirez closed out the game in the last two innings, which earned him a save. The miraculous season for DB continued as they marched onto the CIF semifinals facing the Serra Cavaliers.
The semifinals were different for the Brahmas as they only scored two runs throughout the whole game. The team could not stop the Cavaliers’ offense as Serra won 10-2. The Brahmas gave up 14 hits.
Although the team lost, the Brahmas’ season is something that people cannot overlook. The team managed to earn second place in the Hacienda League and were also able to reach the CIF Semifinals, which ended an eight-year drought of not passing the CIF first round. Although the Brahmas won second place, DB had a better postseason than the first place Bonita Bearcats as the Bearcats lost in the first round of CIF. The Brahmas improved dramatically, going from last year’s 15-9 record to this year’s 22-7.
