Mountain Pointe postseason ace Zach Cordova was on the ropes midway through the Pride's Division I state baseball elimination game with Corona del Sol on Tuesday afternoon. Cordova gave up a four-spot in the top of the fourth as the Aztecs put their game plan to work, executing hit and runs and squeeze plays to perfection.

But watching his teammates work their way back in thebottom of the  fourth and turning the game around with a six-run, fifth inning, Cordova finished strong as Mountain Pointe rolled to an 11-4 victory at Phoenix Municipal Stadium.

Mountain Poiinte (23-8), the No. 14 seed, stays alive to face Chaparral, a 2-0 winner over Pinnacle. Mountain Pointe and Chaparral play Thursday May 9 at 4 p.m. at Tempe Diablo Stadium. Corona del Sol, the No. 24 seed, had its very credible run in the tournament end. The Aztecs finished the season 16-13.

Mountain Pointe cranked out 13-hits, spearheaded by the bottom of its batting order to rally from a 4-1 deficit after 3 1/2 innings. The Pride also  took advantage of Corona's wildness on the mound in the fateful fifth. Mountain Pointe sent 10 batters to the plate in the fifth, collected four hits and and received four walks. Three of those walks were in succession, lighting the fuse for the outburst.

"This was the third time Zach's faced Corona," Mountain Pointe coach Brandon Buck said. "Every team we play we expect to make a run at us. What you can't do is panic, and try to minimize (innings)." 

After the fourth, Cordova did not allow another hit. He finished with a six-hitter, fanned six and didn't walk a batter. Mountain Pointe is 4-1 in  postseason. Cordova has three wins and a save in those contests.

Corona took its 4-1 lead with five hits in the fourth inning. Colby Hamilton had an RBI single, Rick Riley a two-run double and Jake Fett squeezed home the fourth tally. Textbook hit-and-run singles by Josh Ethier and Hamilton got things cooking against Cordova. 

Buck said as important as any inning was Mountain Pointe getting runs back in its half of the frame.

"We got two runs back and got the momentum going our way," Buck said. "The next inning we put it in play, and had patient at-bats with our guys ahead in the count."

Down 4-3 as it batted in the fifth, Mountain Pointe had a runner at first with one out. Three consecutive walks loaaded  the bases and forced in the tying run. Bryce Redaja (3-for-4) followed with the go-head single and Taylor Martin slapped a two-run double to the right-field corner. Tommy Martinez and and Cole Tucker drove in the last two runs of the outburst.

Martin, batting in the 8th spot, was 2-for-3 with four RBI. Mountain Pointe's No. 6 through No. 9 hitters were 8-for-11 with eight RBI. They picked up the meat of the Pride's order -- 3-4-5  -- who were a combined 1-for-10.

Corona del Sol coach David Webb used four pitchers in the fifth. Starter Chris Tate and first reliever Billy Clemens had been postseason stalwarts. Tuesday just wasn't their day as they gave up a combined eight runs. Clemens pitched 4 1/3 shutout inniings in closing out Tolleson last Saturday.

"They've done great for us," Webb said of the duo. "(Clemens) hasn't been in that role and had to be used quicker than we wanted today. I couldn't be more proud of them and this team. Once we found out we made the playoffs, they bought in and focused. We won 11 of our last 13 to get here. It's been hitting and running, squeezing, bunting, dragging. Today it didn't work out."