POWAY -- Mired in a slump he described as more mental than physical, Brett Thomas broke out in style Wednesday.

The junior center fielder slugged a two-run homer in the first inning and a two-run double in the fifth to help Poway High to a 12-6 over Rancho Bernardo in a key Palomar League baseball game. The win gives No. 1-ranked Poway (23-5, 11-2) a two-game lead over No. 4 Rancho Bernardo (19-9, 9-4) with two games to play. The Titans and Broncos play at RB on Friday afternoon with Poway hosting El Camino on Tuesday to end league play while RB is at Vista.

"I was struggling because I wasn't focused mentally," said Thomas. "I was pressing, thinking about too many things.

"I just needed to relax and play the game I love."

In an effort to shake Thomas loose, Poway coach Bob Parry gave Thomas the green light to swing on a 3-0 count in the first inning.

"I just wanted to put the ball in play and get the run in from second," Thomas said. "But I got a fastball, put a good swing on it, and the ball went out. RB beat us Monday (9-5) and played a perfect game. So we came into this game with a chip on our shoulder."

Thomas' home run keyed a five-run Poway first inning that was set up by an error and led to five unearned runs. His double came in the middle of a seven-run fifth.

"Two bad innings killed us," said RB coach Sam Blalock. "But that's baseball. Our pitcher missed his spots, and they cashed in. We booted the ball around or we would have been out of the inning with nothing.

"We weren't scared about chasing five runs because there was plenty of time left, but the inning did set the tone."

Poway starter Keegan Yuhl, who improved to 9-1, worked out of trouble in the first, second and fourth innings before finishing strong. RB scored four in the seventh when Kyle Attl slugged a grand slam off the Poway bullpen.

"Five runs early definitely gives you a comfort zone," Yuhl said. "But RB battles, so I tried to pitch like it was a 0-0 game.

"I didn't look at the scoreboard. I don't want the distraction."

In addition to Thomas, Austin Wynns, Trevin Lipe and CJ Rowe all had two RBIs.

"That was a big win, especially after losing Monday," said Parry. "Now we're up two games with two to play, and it takes some of the pressure off.

"Still, we can't relax because we want some momentum going into the playoffs. Yuhl's throwing really well now, and his timing is good. And we need Brett Thomas to produce.

"He's hard on himself, so we did our best to get him to relax, and you saw what happened."

Staff writer John Maffei can be reached at (760) 740-3547.