REYNOSA ENDS SKID, TOPS DIABLOS TO FULL INTO FIRST-PLACE TIE

Willis Otanez (pictured) cracked three homers and drove in seven runs to lead the Reynosa Broncos to a 16-6 win over the Mexico City Diablos Thursday night at Foro Sol in the capital city. With the win, the Broncos snapped a four-game losing skid, avoided a three-game sweep at the hands of the Diablos and lifted themselves into a first-place tie with Mexico City in the Mexican League Northern Zone.

Otanez hammered a two-run homer off starter Marco Duarte in the third inning, a two-run bomb off Irwin Delgado in the sixth and a three-run blast in the eighth off Aldo Flores to raise his batting average to .342 to go along with his 16 homers on the season. Marshall McDougall cracked his tenth homer of 2011 off Duarte with two gone in the top of the first as Reynosa racked up 18 hits on the night as Mexico City shot themselves in the feet with four errors in the field.

Oscar Hurtado earned the win for Reynosa by scattering five hits and letting in two runs in six innings on the mound, striking out seven Mexico City batters. Duarte was rocked for eight runs on ten hits and three walks in 5.1 frames to take the loss, but the most luckless Red Devil hurler had to be Flores, who let in six runs without retiring a batter in the eighth.

With the win, Reynosa evened their record with the Diablos at 44-30.