Mater Dei Tightens Race

The Serra League picture, so clear a week ago, became muddied Wednesday when visiting Santa Ana Mater Dei, ranked No. 13 in the Southland by The Times, defeated No. 10 Santa Margarita, 10-2.

The victory moved the Monarchs (18-8, 7-4) within reach of Santa Margarita (15-8, 6-3). Mater Dei can clinch no worse than a share of the league title with a victory Friday night over the visiting Eagles, who have lost four in a row.

Santa Margarita entered last week with a three-game lead in the league race, only to lose twice to last-place Anaheim Servite.

“Now, we have a monster on our back,” Santa Margarita Coach Mike Borowski said. “It started out as a monkey, now it’s a monster.”

The Monarchs broke open a 1-1 tie by scoring nine runs in the fifth inning. Senior right fielder Garret Smith, the team’s No. 9 batter, failed on a sacrifice bunt, then hit a two-run homer to give Mater Dei a 3-1 lead. Smith, who entered the game with five hits in 43 at-bats, hit a second two-run homer in the inning to put the Monarchs ahead, 10-1.

“This season started out real slow for me,” he said. “I was just getting runners over, doing my job as the No. 9 hitter.”

Another player who is heating up is Mater Dei second baseman Mike Torres.

He had three hits Wednesday to give him 11 in his last 14 at-bats.

-- Dan Arritt

A three-person appeals panel has upheld the decision of the City Section athletics office to require Woodland Hills El Camino Real to forfeit games against Sun Valley Poly and Reseda Cleveland after players left the bench when a parent got into a scuffle with coaches in the Poly dugout on April 9.