By Jocelyn Cervantes
Tuesday afternoon, the Tustin Tillers varsity baseball team hit the field to play against the Diamond Bar Brahma. Starters for the game were Cole Hoskins (pitcher), David Bohorquez (catcher), Blake Akins (first base), Brian Nguyen (second base), Brennan Black (third base), Anthony Walters (short-stop), Jesus Inocencio (left field), Dailin Lee (center field), and Dustin Durand (right field). Captain Hector Rivera commented about the game, “We just had to win and play as a team.”
The first inning for the Tillers started with Anthony Walters hitting a double and followed up with Brennan Black walking on four pitches. As Dailin Lee came up to bat, Brennan stole second base. Brennan ran to third base just as Dailin sent the ball soaring, only to have Dailin pop out. Diamond Bar caught David Bohorquez’s ball before Brennan could reach home, ending the first inning with no runs made by either team. The Tustin Tillers and the Diamond Bar Brahman had more luck in the second inning as each team scored their first run. Blake Akins with the RBI, sent Hoskins home, putting the Tillers up 1-0.
During the third inning the Tillers succeeded in preventing the Brahma from scoring. The stands erupted with hysteria as Dailin Lee hit a bomb. Following Dailin’s home run, David Bohorquez hammered a single. Cole Hoskins walked up to the plate and skillfully pummeled a double. Cole’s double sent David running for home base, and scoring the second run for the Tillers. The third inning ended with Tillers-3 Brahma-1
In the fourth inning with two outs, Anthony Walters walked to the plate determined to send Domnick Lokeijack home. Domnick ran across the plate as Anthony nailed a single. Tiller fans jumped out of their seats and cheered. Brennan Black was next at bat. With Brennan up to bat, Anthony stole second, but was thrown out at the plate on Brennan Black’s base hit. Tiller fans were on the edge of their seats as Anthony ran for home just as the Brahma threw the ball to their catcher. Anthony slid across home the same moment as Diamond Bar’s catcher tagged him out: Tillers-4 Brahma-1
The scored stayed remained 4-1 through the fifth inning. Diamond Bar scored a run in the sixth cutting into the Tiller’s lead. In the seventh the Brahma scored two more runs to tie the game at 4.
The seventh inning for the Tillers started with Tony Barrios hitting a double pinch hitting for Brian Nguyen. Anthony Walters walked. Batting next, Dalton Rasmussen hit into a double play. Next up, Dailin Lee drew a walk. However, the threat ended in the seventh when David Bohorquez struck out sending the game into extra innings.
In the eighth inning Dalton skillfully retired the Brahma without giving up a run. First to bat for the Tillers in the bottom of the eight, Cole Hoskins who reached first base with a walk. Hector Rivera, with a bunt, sent Cole to second, and was tagged out. Dustin Durand hit a single, moving Cole to third. Dustin stole second and Blake grounded out to third base. Two outs, bottom of the inning, anxiety was present as freshman Brian Nguyen approached the plate. With the confidence of a second year varsity guy, Brian, drove Cole in, giving the Tillers a 5-4 extra inning win. The varsity team ran out of the dugout and onto the field in excitement and dog-piled youngster Brian and veteran Hoskins in on their win. Next up for the Tillers — Indio Rajas this Friday.
Cole Hoskins commented after the game, “My mindset going into today’s game was I needed to compete on the mound and throw a lot of strikes early in the game and get a lot of hitters. My approach in the box that I used were the approaches my coaches gave me to square up the ball and think of good times I was hitting like what worked for me and what didn’t. Carrying Friday’s win into today helped a lot.” David added “We’re always hungry to get that win especially at home.”
Photos taken by Tanya Soto
