Up to bat with a challenging schedule

MK Palaris, Asst. A&E Editor|March 15, 2022

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Despite pitching in their best efforts, the Diamond Bar High School softball team has faced some challenges in starting the new season.

After suffering a discouraging loss of 4-0 to Don Lugo High School, the Lady Brahmas’ mentality was weakened, and they subsequently lost their next five games. It was only in their game against Sultana High School that they produced a victorious win of 8-0, putting the Brahmas in high spirits.

“We just need to work on getting better every day and every aspect [of softball]. Hitting, pitching, fielding—it all goes hand in hand,” head coach Kurt Davies said.

According to Davies, the issues brought forth stem from the schedule of schools the team is up against. The Brahmas suffered a total of seven losses thus far, losing their next two games after their victory against the Sultana Dragons.

“The caliber of teams we’re playing [is challenging],” Davies said. “We’ve played four or five teams that are nationally ranked—we’re not to that level yet, but we’re planning on being there eventually.”

But, even with these setbacks, Davies said the team is hoping that the difficulty of this beginning will be stepping stones to success against future teams.

“We’ve started off with a really tough schedule, but we’re hoping that the tough schedule will pay off in the long run,” Davies said.

According to Davies, the team is still relatively fresh in terms of experience, as the team consists of many freshmen and sophomores. The team counts on these players to give it their all, and the team captains—seniors Sarah Ruhl, Tiffany Pope and Amanda Flores—are a source of inspiration to many.

“They not only lead by example, but they’re also great people that are great leaders for the team,” Davies said.

This season, the team is focusing their practice on their upcoming game against DBHS’ rival school, Walnut High School. Davies said that the Mustangs are the most exciting and eventful team to play against, so the Lady Brahmas are planning accordingly.

“Our number one goal is to beat Walnut everytime we play them. And from there, it’s just to have the best season we can,” Davies said. “If we can get better every day, we can make a run in the playoffs, and it’s always our goal to keep playing for as long as we can until May and hopefully into June.”