By Don Ketchum

Score early, score often and let your pitcher go to work.

That was Peoria Liberty’s blueprint for success in a Division II baseball elimination game on Thursday (May 10) at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.

The Lions scored seven runs over the first three innings and got a solid pitching effort from Zach Johnston for an 8-2 victory over Tucson Salpointe Catholic.

Liberty (26-3), the fifth seed, moves on to another elimination game on Saturday (May 12) against the loser of a later game on Thursday between sixth-seeded Scottsdale Saguaro and eighth-seeded Phoenix Sunnyslope. First pitch on Saturday is 6:30 p.m. at Camelback Ranch in Glendale.

“It’s always good to score those early runs,’’ said Liberty coach Mark Ernster. “We came out swinging it. We had a good offensive approach.

“Zach did a great job for us. He gave us some good innings. He had not been throwing the best, but he did the job out there.’’

Designated hitter P.J. Catera provided the early fireworks with a bases-clearing double in the first inning. The Lions scored two more in the second and two more in the third.

Liberty scored an insurance run in the sixth on a triple by Kyle Anulao and a throwing error. Anulao drove in an earlier run with a single.

Johnston gave up a run on five hits in 5 2/3 innings. He left with the bases loaded, and Tyler Wyatt came on to end the inning with a strikeout to keep 10^th-seeded Salpointe (25-9) off the board.

The Lancers picked up a run in the seventh against Wyatt, but he battled back to strike out the final two batters to end the game.

Anulao and Nathan Bannister each had three hits to lead Liberty. Heath Miller, Ryan Ramsower and Ryan Penaflor all had two hits for Salpointe.

Ernster doesn’t care who his team plays on Saturday. All that matters is that Liberty’s flame still burns.

“Both teams (Sunnyslope and Saguaro) a great teams. It will be a great game, whoever we play,’’ he said.