Kyle Betz is an ASU Cronkite School of Journalism student assigned to cover North High School for AZPreps365.com.

PHOENIX – The bats were alive and well for North High School baseball on Tuesday afternoon, as the Mustangs hit .333 as a team against Trevor G. Browne High School and notched a 9-4 win on the Bruins’ home field.

The win comes less than a week after the Mustangs dropped a home game to the Bruins, 8-5, in 13 innings.

“We wanted it,” Mustangs head coach AJ Liebau said after the game. “It was great. To beat them on their home field is awesome.”

The Mustangs scored five unanswered runs in the first three innings, taking advantage of what Browne junior pitcher Jose Guzman was giving them.

One of the biggest sparks at the plate was provided by North senior Jose Becerra, who blasted a solo shot over the left field wall to give the Mustangs a 3-0 lead in the top of the third inning.

Becerra, who tallied his first home run of the season, said he was slightly surprised the line drive left the ballpark. “I wasn’t expecting it to go out — I was looking (to go to second or third), but they said, ‘Oh, it went out,’” Becerra said. “I just had a look of relief and it put us ahead a little more.”

Becerra wasn’t the only one to drive offensive production, however. Sophomore Avery Muroaka and junior Brian Munoz each added to the party with third-inning RBI singles. Junior Angel Valenzuela kept the momentum going with a two-RBI double down the right field line in the seventh to extend the Mustangs' lead to 9-2.

Becerra said the Mustangs’ collective approach on offense helped the team drive in runs.

“It feels like we’re really connected as a team because everyone works together, everyone plays a part,” Becerra said. “Everyone just does their job.”

North junior Angel Aguilar launched the party with a two-RBI single in the first inning. Things could have gone south for the Mustangs in the bottom half of the inning as the Bruins loaded the bases, but an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play countered the threat.

“Angel came up huge in the first inning with that two-out hit,” Liebau said of the first inning. “That really set the tone and then we were able to shut them down.”

In addition to producing at the plate, Aguilar saw mound time and threw a strikeout, holding Browne scoreless in two innings of relief.

Junior Paul Robles got the nod to start the game. In four innings of work, he walked six batters, but only allowed two runs on three hits and added four strikeouts.

Next up for North (7-5) is an away game at Mesa High School on Wednesday at 3:45 p.m. Liebau, who used to coach alongside current Mesa head coach Ray Figueroa, said facing the Jackrabbits won’t be easy.

“If we play the way we played today, we’ve got a shot,” Liebau said. “The guys got hits when they needed to and that’s what it takes to win. Mesa’s tough, but we’re ready to go.”