The Walnut baseball team was watching one slip away Thursday against Rowland, trailing 3-1 in the sixth inning, which would have been a brutal loss considering how far the Mustangs have come to put themselves in position to contend for the Hacienda League title.
Mustangs coach Paul Acosta could have easily attributed the setback to growing pains from a young squad. But instead, the Mustangs showed their coach just how much they’ve grown, rallying with five runs in the sixth to pull out a 6-3 victory.
Freshman Manny Aguilar got the scoring started by singling in a run, then Erick Felix tripled home two more for a 4-3 lead, and they tacked on two more for good measure to pull it out.
Walnut started the season losing six of its first seven games. But the team is as hot as anyone of late, winning four straight and nine of its last 10 to improve to 12-10 and a perfect 6-0 in league.
It was just what the Mustangs needed heading to Tuesday’s home showdown against South Hills (16-7, 6-0) for sole possession of first place. The Huskies have won two straight league titles and are 24-1 in league over the past three seasons.
“They’re (South Hills) going to have good pitching, good defense and a tough, killer lineup,” Acosta said of the Huskies, who are in Division 1. “That was the whole purpose of scheduling like we did at the beginning of the season with tough teams like Aquinas and Norco, to be ready for South Hills when the time comes.”
Felix is the Mustangs’ best pitcher and overall player, and one of the few contributing seniors they have. Freshman pitcher Dylan Nunez has given them quality innings and sophomore shortstop Adam Lenero and junior third baseman Eddie Chavez have helped them turn the tide.
“The left side of our infield has been solid,” Acosta said. “I’ve been pleased with Eddie Chavez. He’s a veteran, he’s doing what I ask him to do, which is making routine plays and helping out on offense.”
The Mustangs swept Diamond Bar, Wilson and Rowland in league to stay undefeated, and while the consistency is nice, there are still questions.
“We’re a young team that is going to make mistakes, that’s the process of us being consistent and playing good baseball,” Acosta said. “It’s been tough for us to be consistent day in and day out. We’re showing signs of being a quality team, but we also have shown signs that we can lose to a team that is 0-10 if we don’t play well.”
The Mustangs will play the Huskies twice next week, and how they approach the challenge mentally will be telling.
“You would hope that you can play free,” Acosta said. “When you’re a veteran squad that has navigated the waters before, you have no doubt they’re going to embrace this opportunity.
“But with a young team, it’s sort of unchartered waters. It’s a great experience and opportunity for our whole squad to compete for a league championship and know exactly what they’re getting into. We haven’t won a league title since 2017, so this group has an opportunity to do something special.”
