Baltruzak Keeps Mounties at Bay : Softball: La Reina pitcher blanks Montclair Prep on two hits. Regents score all five runs in fifth.

As La Reina High’s Jennifer Baltruzak discussed the two-hit shutout she had just pinned on previously undefeated Montclair Prep, a broad grin replaced the grim stare she had worn for most of the afternoon.

“We played a lot of really good teams in the preseason and it’s really helped our confidence,” said Baltruzak, a junior who allowed a pair of singles, struck out three and walked one in the Regents’ 5-0 victory in pool play of the Paraclete tournament at Desert Sands Park.

“We didn’t get down early on today when we were hitting popups and groundouts. I knew if I didn’t let them score we’d get into it.”

Baltruzak (8-4) held up her end of the bargain and extended her scoreless innings streak to 28. The powerful pitcher blew a succession of fastballs--her pitches have been clocked in excess of 60 m.p.h.--curves and screwballs past befuddled Montclair Prep batters with a short, violent windup that loosened more and more hair from her French braid as the game progressed.

“(Baltruzak) had excellent control and placement today,” said Montclair Prep Coach Greg Reece, whose team dropped to 11-1. “She was hitting the low outside corner consistently and her riseball was looking great on 0-and-2 counts.”

Neither team had a hit through four innings, but La Reina (12-5) broke the game open in the top of the fifth with a combination of five hits and two errors that led to all five runs.

Baltruzak drove in the first two runs with a hard single through the left side of the infield with one out. Minutes later, Kelly Osborne brought in Baltruzak and Sarah Heiler with a double.

Though she appeared to expend considerable energy on every pitch, Baltruzak showed no signs of fatigue. She attributed her stamina to a weightlifting regimen she undertook last fall.

“Before I began working out I wasn’t as fast or as accurate,” said Baltruzak, who also plays on the Regents’ high-powered soccer team. “I used to get tired really easy, now I don’t at all.”

Reece was disappointed to see the Mounties’ undefeated string end, but he emphasized the benefits of playing La Reina, a possible opponent in the Southern Section Division V playoffs.

“Out of our 11 wins only four of the teams were solid,” Reece said. “Our girls were kind of flat but I’d rather lose to (La Reina) now than in the playoffs.”

Montclair Prep pitcher Brandi Cohen (7-1) allowed six hits, two earned runs and struck out five.