Eats Al Fresco: Oh, sure. He’s a...

Eats Al Fresco: Oh, sure. He’s a chef. He could cook veal this or l’orange that for the Casa Pacifica Wine and Food Festival on Sunday at the Pierpont Inn (F1B). . . . But Pierpont chef Kevin Sherry decided to stick with something any backyard gourmand could appreciate: barbecue. . . . It’s fancy, of course. This barbecue is basically smoked vegetables. “And it’s not really a barbecue per se in terms of having the grill out there,” Sherry says. But it’s the thought--and the taste--that counts.

Groaner: It was deja vu all over again for Cal Lutheran’s baseball team Wednesday. They took a big lead into the final innings of the NCAA Division III national championship . . . and wound up losing to William Paterson, 6-5 (C6). . . . In 1992, the Kingsmen also lost the championship to William Paterson on a heartbreaking three-run homer in the ninth. This time, Cal Lutheran went into the eighth leading 5-1.

Donors: Thanks in large part to Oxnard’s LaRue family, Southern California has become only the second region in the country (after the mid-Atlantic) to register more than 100,000 potential bone marrow donors. . . . The registry went over the top at a May 18 donor drive at the Alhambra Fire Department, organized for young Garrett LaRue. The Oxnard boy and his brothers have made news around the country in their fight against a rare blood disease. . . . “There were some successful drives before that, but obviously the LaRue brothers captured everybody’s heart,” American Red Cross spokeswoman Barbara Wilks said.