Romeros Build Up Los Altos

When Hacienda Heights Los Altos baseball Coach Keith Prager arrived at practice Monday morning and saw the dugouts had been painted royal blue, he immediately knew who the culprit was.

Mario Romero, a junior catcher, has spent nearly every weekend since last summer working on the Conquerors’ field along with his father, Mario Sr., and often his mother, Carmen.

The Romeros’ handiwork will be on display again today during a Southern Section Division IV semifinal against visiting El Segundo (24-9). Before this season, Los Altos (17-11) had never advanced past the quarterfinals.

“Our field has never been anything nice to look at,” said Romero, whose father works for a gas company but comes from a long line of handymen. “Compared to last year, it’s just a whole 180 [degrees different].”

Prager, hired in July to turn around a team that finished 10-12 last season and had only four starters returning, said the painted dugouts are just one of many projects completed by the Romeros. They have also taken the lead in installing sod, building batting cages and raising the previously trash-strewn sunken dugouts to field level.

Romero has 33 hits in 96 at-bats (.344) and has not committed an error this season for the Conquerors, who on May 24 upset top-seeded Palm Desert, 4-3.

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Gabe Cohen, a junior outfielder at North Hollywood Harvard-Westlake who has committed to UCLA, confirmed Monday that he plans to transfer in the fall to Woodland Hills El Camino Real.

-- Dan Arritt

Softball

Senior Monica Alnes of Palos Verdes Peninsula (23-3) is finally seeing the results of hard work.

Alnes pitched a two-hitter and was supported by Kat Delpit’s home run in a 2-0 victory over Orange El Modena on Thursday to advance to today’s Southern Section Division II semifinal against visiting Chino Hills (22-7).

Although Alnes has grown in many of the obvious ways -- she’s smarter, stronger and has learned to pitch rather than throw -- Coach Tim Hall said she has had an even bigger effect.

“She’s helped make other players better with her approach and her ability to communicate that with them,” Hall said.

“They respect her and trust her so much, that they’ve raised their quality of play too.”

Rancho Cucamonga will play host to top-seeded Placentia El Dorado today in a Division II semifinal. The Cougars advanced despite striking out 16 times and getting only three hits against La Palma Kennedy’s Brooke Turner in a 1-0 victory on Thursday.

-- Martin Henderson