VISTA -- Poway High's Keegan Yuhl huffed and puffed his way through four innings eight days ago, surrendering six hits and four runs in a Palomar League win over El Camino.

On Wednesday, the junior right-hander blew No. 2-ranked Rancho Buena Vista away, using a devastating slider and a fastball that touched 90 mph in a 4-0 win over the Longhorns.

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With the victory, No. 1-ranked Poway (21-4, 9-1) evens the three-game series with RBV (19-6, 7-3), setting up Friday's rubber game at Poway. The loss snaps RBV's seven-game winning streak.

"Wow! What a performance," said Poway coach Bob Parry. "This was a big test for us.

"RBV beat us Monday (6-5 in eight innings), so we couldn't let them go 2-0 against us.

"Our focus at the start of league play was to win series. Keegan's effort gives us that chance.

"He wasn't very good last time out, but he has pitched a lot of innings. So we backed him off a little. He didn't pitch in a game from Wednesday to Wednesday, and he was a lot stronger today."

Yuhl had appeared in nine of Poway's 24 games prior to Wednesday.

He had thrown 35 2/3 innings and was 6-1.

He improved to 7-1 with a 10-strikeout, two-hit performance against RBV. He also got seven outs on ground balls and two on infield pop ups.

"Oh, yeah, I struggled last time out," Yuhl said. "So the coaches gave me a nice breather, and I let my arm relax.

"My slider was really working well today. I could locate it to either side of the plate.

"I was throwing first-pitch strikes, working inside and out. The slider set up my fastball, and I had a good fastball, not my best, but good.

"Plus, the umpire was giving the pitchers the corner, so I felt I had to go there.

"Our strategy in league is to win the series, so it was up to me today. I felt I had to be more aggressive."

RBV didn't get a hit until Jimmy Allen beat out an infield roller with one out in the fourth. Jose Rodriguez singled cleanly to left to open the fifth.

The Longhorns didn't get a runner to second until Allen, who was hit by a pitch, got there with two out in the seventh.

Yuhl got all the runs he needed when Dillon Dooney drove in three with a fourth-inning bases-loaded triple off RBV starter Kevin Ragsdale. John Jensen-Johnson's sacrifice fly scored Dooney.

"We had one bad inning," said RBV coach Leo Fletes. "Ragsdale was matching Yuhl pitch-for-pitch, but got a little tired and started to get the ball up.

"One pitch got away, and they took advantage.

"Ragsdale pitched three great innings and Reed Reznicek did, too (combing for 10 strikeouts).

"But Yuhl pitched a great game.

"Friday figures to be a battle. We felt we had to win Monday. They felt they had to win today.

"Now we need to get a win Friday to get back to within a game of them."

Contact staff writer John Maffei at (760) 740-3547 or jmaffei@nctimes.com.