Mountain Ridge ace Matthew Liberatore (32) gets the high-five treatment for his 11-strikeout performance in a 5-1 victory over Hamitlon in the 6A state tournament. (AzPreps365 photo)

#5 Mountain Ridge brought its ace centerstage Friday night in a bid to earn a semifinal berth in the 6A state baseball tournament.

And of course, Matthew Liberatore did not disappoint. The senior lefty pitched 6 2/3 innings of two-hit ball and struck out 11 as the Mountain Lions bested #8 and two-time defending champion Hamilton, 5-1, at Diablo Stadium.

Mountain Ridge (20-9-1) advances to the semifinals and won't play again until Thursday May 11 against either #1 seed Mountain View or Hamilton. Mountain View (23-7) and Hamilton (19-11) meet in an elimination game on Tuesday May 8 at 6:30 at Diablo.

The difference in the game was the offensive burst Mountain Ridge posted for Liberatore  in the fifth inning. The game was even at 1 at that point and the best outcome Mountain Ridge coach Artie Cox could hope for came true.

"We try for small innings," Cox said. "Every once in a while it's nice to get a big one , and we got that tonight."

Big was a four-run rally, against Hamitlon starter Shane Murphy, who kept the game in strking distance for the Huskies to that juncture. Mountain Ridge sent nine batters to the plate in the fifth. It was  highlighted by two of four triples Mountain Ridge stroked on the evening. The biggest was from No. 3 hitter Jake Robson. it was a bases-loaded three-bagger to center that made it 4-1. The next hitter Preson Godfrey, belted his second triple of the game to the right-field corner.

Liberatore took it from there. He wasn't particularly sharp the first couple innings, struggling with his offspeed pitches. Still, he allowed onlly two singles in the first three innings, both off the bat of Michael Brueser. The second Bruese hit tied the game at 1 in the third. Liberatore ran his record to 7-1 and his earned-run average rests af 1.04.

Mountain Ridge's coaching staff helped Liberatore get his offspeed offerings fixed and from the fourth inning on he was  dominant. He fanned two batters in each of the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh. Only hitting the pitch count after a two-out walk in the seventh to Hamilton's Will Maxey was Liberatore stopped.

"Our guys battled, and we barreled up a couple early," Hamilton coach Mike Woods said. "He got it going, and you have to tip your cap."