Baseball: Alemany likes its chances with a lead after five innings

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A warning to Mission League teams: You better not let Alemany take the lead after five innings, because it’s unlikely the Warriors will surrender the lead once closer Rene Deleon comes in.

‘I like our chances,’ Coach Randy Thompson said.

The 6-foot-1, 195-pound Deleon throws what Thompson calls a ‘heavy ball.’ It has a downward movement that makes it difficult for batters to hit it in the air. It comes in at 89 mph.

Against Chatsworth, he threw 3 2/3 innings of shutout relief, striking out six. Against Westlake, he threw 1 2/3 innings of shutout relief. He struck out three. That’s nine strikeouts in 5 1/3 innings for 3-1 Alemany.

Deleon was a linebacker in football. He seems to like the pressure situations.

Now the Warriors need to come up with some intimidating music to play when he comes to the mound.

-- Eric Sondheimer