Baseball: Top teams keep expanding

The number of teams capable of winning Southern Section baseball titles this spring keeps growing. That’s because lots of teams are showing outstanding pitching in winter games.

Mission Hills Alemany had four junior pitchers allow two runs in 14 innings of a tournament this past weekend. Brandon Ponticelli, Carter Yankie and Kyle Merkel, plus closer Alex Mckenna, give the Warriors a pitching staff that can challenge Mission League rivals Loyola and Harvard-Westlake.

Tournaments will be held this weekend at JSerra and at Pepperdine, Pierce College and Palisades. Scouts figure to be out en force for the 9 a.m. game on Saturday at JSerra, because Jack Flaherty, the returning Southern Section Division 1 player of the year from Harvard-Westlake, is scheduled to throw a few innings.

Others making strong impressions are Orange Lutheran, Los Alamitos, Huntington Beach, Mater Dei, JSerra, Aliso Niguel, Hart, Temecula Valley, Mission Viejo, Cypress, Bishop Amat and Newport Harbor.

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