Opening up its first three league games with a close 3-2 win over Claremont and losses against Bonita and Glendora, the Diamond Bar High School varsity baseball team stepped away from its sophomore season in the Palomares League with the Don Lugo Tournament during the spring break.

In the tourney, the team went 3-1 overall with two 8-3 wins over Schurr and Nogales, a 7-6 victory against Sultana, and a 7-1 loss against Woodcrest Christian. While the team had a solid record in the tournament, the Brahmas used it as a way to prepare for the rest of their league matches.

“[The tournament] allowed us to work on a lot of things that we don’t really get to work on during league. It was a good opportunity for everyone to play and for us to figure out what we have other than the typical starters that we usually play,” head coach Jon Hurst said.

Senior Keola Viloria made his return after being injured in the team’s match against Walnut.

In his first tournament back, the Brahma had six hits and six runs. According to Hurst, the return of Viloria opened up more options for the team on both offense and defense.

“The most important part about Keola is that he’s our spark plug and is very energetic and very fast. He gives us a lot of energy. It’s great to have him back because he makes us a far more dangerous team,” Hurst said.

During Viloria’s injury, senior Joseph Kim was one of the players stepped up for the team as he became the leadoff hitter rather than his usual spot as third in the lineup. Since then, Kim has become the leader in hits, RBIs, and batting averages.

Despite Kim’s personal accomplishment, his main focus is the team’s league games.

“So far, the league games are the ones that count. We have an important week, and pretty much the next two weeks are going to decide our season, so we need to keep on winning [league] games,” Kim said.

Returning from their break, the Brahmas took on Ayala on April 6. The game was tied at 0 until the bottom of the sixth inning when Ayala scored. The Brahmas lose the game, 1-0.

With ten games left in the season, the team has more than enough time to earn a spot in the postseason; in the two weeks, the team has multiple rematches against Glendora and Ayala.

The team’s next match is against Ayala today.