Since Surprising Loss, Alemany Has Played Hardball

Alemany High has emerged as a surprise contender for the Mission League championship.

The Indians struggled at the start of the season, including a loss three weeks ago to tiny Faith Baptist.

“They took it to us,” first-year Coach Charlie Briere said. “I turned my answering machine off that night.”

Ever since, Alemany (8-6, 2-0 in league play) has answered the call.

A third-place effort at the High Desert Classic included victories over likely playoff participants Highland, Arcadia and Ridgecrest Burroughs, and a loss to Paraclete, ranked No. 7 in the region by The Times.

On Monday, the Indians were three outs away from a key Mission League victory over No. 6 Notre Dame (8-3) when a freak hail storm in the bottom of the fifth inning caused suspension of the game with Alemany leading, 1-0.

Junior pitcher Christie Sotelo (6-6) was working on a one-hitter when the weather turned ugly.

“If she’s on, our defense and offense can stay with anybody,” Briere said.

Kaitlin Reiss, batting .366, Pru Kjonvedt, who has 10 runs batted in, and Rose Ramirez, with two home runs, have been the offensive catalysts for Alemany, which hosts defending league champion Harvard-Westlake today.

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It has not been a good week for Notre Dame, which had four consecutive games postponed or suspended during a five-day span.

On Thursday, a bomb threat postponed the Knights’ league game at Chaminade. Two San Fernando Valley tournament games were postponed on Saturday because of wet grounds.

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La Canada (9-1) needs a victory next Wednesday over South Pasadena (7-10) to tie its school record of 25 consecutive Rio Hondo League victories.

The Spartans are 6-0 in league play and can clinch a share of the league title with two victories. The last team to beat La Canada was South Pasadena in 1999.

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Golden League teams were hopeful when perennial titans Highland and Quartz Hill struggled through the first month.

The thought of someone other than the Bulldogs or Rebels winning the league title for the first time since 1996 seemed possible.

Then league play began.

Things are back to normal, with Highland (8-5) and Quartz Hill (8-8) both at 2-0.

Defending champion Highland, batting under .100 two weeks ago, had 25 runs and 28 hits in victories over Palmdale and Littlerock.

Quartz Hill, which hasn’t lost more than eight games since 1996, beat Antelope Valley and Littlerock.

Highland hosts Quartz Hill on April 19.

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The toughest section championship in the state to win this season is the Southern Section’s Division II, with defending national champion Santa Ana Foothill, Riverside Poly, Loara, Thousand Oaks, Crescenta Valley and Hart.

Hart (12-1), ranked sixth in the nation, somehow popped up at No. 3 in the Division III rankings.

“I have no idea why that would be,” Coach Cathy Giordano said of the enrollment-based divisions. “Did we shrink? I’d love to be out of Division II.”

Southern Section spokesman Tom Simmons said Tuesday that Hart won’t get off that easily.

“They should be in Division II,” he said. “There must have been a [mistake] with the rankings.”

Chaminade (3-4-1) is ranked No. 1 in Division IV, Village Christian, Paraclete and La Reina occupy the top three spots in Division V, and Oaks Christian and Faith Baptist are Nos. 1 and 2 in Division VI.

Valencia is second in Division I.