Diamond Bar High School baseball is preparing to slide into CIF playoffs as the season comes to a close.

The Brahmas have a overall league record of 5-8, and is tied with Chaffey for fourth in the league. The team rebounded from a 5-3 loss against Chino with three consecutive wins: 12-3 against Ontario, 5-2 against Ontario and 9-2 against Chaffey. The team then suffered two losses 17-6 and 8-3 to Don Lugo.

This season has been hindered by some inconsistencies in playing at the same level offensively and defensively.

“We started off hot but then had some bumps down the road,” junior infielder Christian Barajas said.

Head coach Jon Hurst said that defeats such as the 11-8 loss against Don Lugo on March 13 were caused by pitching. Since this game, Hurst has made the team focus on defense.

Hurst credits the recent victories to these improvements and to senior pitcher John Chao. Chao has an ERA of 3.73 in  the five games he has pitched.

“Chao has been pitching really well recently,” Hurst said. “Combined with Xavier Mendoza, our catcher, and Will Murphy, our second baseman, hitting pretty well we are on track.”

Senior Mendoza has amassed twelve hits, six RBI and scored five runs, while junior Murphy has accumulated twelve hits, nine RBI and scored eight runs out of twelve games.

“We’ve definitely gotten much better defensively,” Hurst said. “We’ve been getting more clutch hits lately.”

DBHS’s strong offense has also been supported  by Aaron Duran and Alonzo Fuller. Senior Duran has connected 17 hits, ten RBI and scored eight runs out of thirteen games played. Out of the same number of games, junior Fuller has 17 hits, eight RBI and scored eleven runs.

According to Hurst, the team is on track to move onto CIF playoffs as long as they continue to stay focused. The Brahmas need to continue to keep runs off the board and defense consistent.

As CIF approaches, Hurst is eager for the last six games.

“I look forward to the end of the season where every game means something,” Hurst said. “The fact that we are still playing for something is a good thing.”

In line with his coach, Barajas is confident for the remaining games of the season.

“I am looking forward to finishing the season on fire with my teammates,” Barajas said.

The boys need to win the two final games of league against Montclair in order to qualify for CIF.