After losing to the Edison Chargers 6-7 on April 17, the Diamond Bar softball team went on an offensive run to defeat rival Walnut High School 8-3, keeping its hopes for the CIF playoffs alive. The Lady Brahmas are now 10-11 and now second in the Hacienda League with a league record of 6-1.
After giving up a run and three hits to the Mustangs in the top of the first inning, the Lady Brahmas came back with an offensive punch scoring two runs by sophomore left fielder Danielle Cornejo and freshman catcher Casey Tamanaha. In the second inning, senior co-captain pitcher Dani Wilson held the WHS batters scoreless with no hits while the Lady Brahmas scored another run from a single by senior co-captain shortstop Brianna Gonzalez. However, both teams were held scoreless in the third inning, keeping the score at 3-1.
During the top of the fourth inning, Wilson had trouble controlling her pitches as she let a couple of Mustangs score on a double. “I had better days than this day,” Wilson said. However, the Lady Brahmas answered back with four runs, one of them being a two-run homerun by freshman third baseman Andrea Gonzalez. “It felt amazing since it was my first one of the season,” Gonzalez said. At the end of the fourth inning, DB was leading 8-3. “When coach [Gonzalez] talked to us before the game, she was really motivating on how we should start focusing on hitting,” Wilson said.
After scoring another run in the bottom of the fifth inning by a sacrifice fly by junior second baseman Aubrey Horita, it seemed as if the Lady Brahmas were going to cruise to an early win. With one more out left in the game, Wilson ended the contest with her fourth strikeout of the match. This is Wilson’s ninth win of the season with an earned run average of 3.14 “We feel good beating our opponents and since I beat Walnut every time, I feel accomplished,” Wilson said.
As league play goes on, the Lady Brahmas have improved their team chemistry in each game. “Before the game, I told everyone to play as a team not as individuals,” Wilson said. Even with three freshmen on the team, each player has accepted her role to make the team better. “We are a family and this is my second home,” A. Gonzalez said.
With five more league games, DB still has to come out and compete in each game to make it to the playoffs. “We have to love the game and play all out in each game,” coach Roberta Garcia-Uyemura said.
