Kerry Klecic, Times Correspondent
Friday, March 25, 2011
TAMPA — They say in baseball that a pitcher always needs help from his lineup.
On Friday, that saying didn't apply to Brooks-DeBartolo senior pitcher Javier Reynoso.
Reynoso was equally impressive from the plate and the mound, giving himself plenty of cushion to lead the Phoenix (6-7) to a 10-6 district win at Tampa Prep. (6-8).
"He's a great advantage," Brooks-DeBartolo coach Donnie Oliver said. "It's a big advantage when you have someone who can do that. You've got a kid throwing 90 or 92 mph from the left side; that's a big advantage."
Reynoso was an asset from the plate as well, going 3-for-4 with two home runs. He allowed only two hits and struck out eight in five innings.
Reynoso helped himself out in the top of the first, hitting a home run off Tampa Prep's Nick Adams over the short rightfield fence. Then he did the same thing in the third. With Brooks-DeBartolo leading 3-0, Reynoso's shot to right was almost identical to his first. The Phoenix got another run in the fourth and four in the sixth, including an RBI single from Reynoso, to open a 9-0 lead.
"It was just about throwing strikes tonight and getting my pitches over the plate," Reynoso said. "On the hitting, I wanted to stay back on my weight and try to pull the ball, not kill the ball."
Tampa Prep, which won the earlier meeting in the season, made a late push, roughing up the Phoenix's bullpen for six runs, but it wasn't enough.