Gonzalez, Ponce de Leon Heritage Athletes of Month

Adrian Gonzalez and Alina Ponce de Leon are presented their Menifee 24/7 Athlete of the Month Awards by Larry Nemelka of RE/MAX Diamond Realty. (Menifee 24/7 photo: Doug Spoon)

Baseball star Adrian Gonzalez and softball standout Alina Ponce de Leon of Heritage High School have been honored as Menifee 24/7 April Athletes of the Month, sponsored by RE/MAX Diamond Realty.

Gonzalez, a senior pitcher, is 4-0 with a 1.01 ERA this season for the Patriots. He pitched a no-hitter in a 4-0 win over Perris on April 21, allowing only one base-runner on a fifth-inning walk.

"I walked him on a 3-2 count," Gonzalez said. "He fouled off two pitches 3-2. Then I threw an outside pitch and they called it a ball."

Gonzalez' no-hitter came the same day Jed Walz threw one for Paloma Valley High. Although they are rivals in high school, the two are teammates during the off-season on the Menifee Mustangs travel team.

"Jed called me up and said, 'You threw one too?' " Gonzalez said with a smile.

Gonzalez plans to study at Cal Baptist next year and hopes to play baseball there as well.

Ponce de Leon is a junior outfielder and pitcher for the Patriots softball team. She is hitting .463, working constantly on her offense as well as her outfield play.

"I work on hitting every day with my dad," she said. "I'm also trying to improve my outfield skills -- throwing it straight instead of long."

Ponce de Leon also hopes to play for Cal Baptist, where she plans to study accounting. As a pitcher, she is 3-1 with one save.

Each player received a certificate of recognition from Menifee 24/7 and was presented a Target gift card by Larry Nemelka of RE/MAX Diamond Realty.

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