Though having to call another school’s ballfield “home” for a day, the confines of Liberty High School still proved friendly to the bats of the Mercer Island baseball team.

Playing their season’s home opener in Issaquah due to unplayable conditions at Island Crest Park, the Islanders used an 11-run third inning to beat the Liberty Patriots 13-1 Wednesday at Liberty High School.

Anthony Scalzo and Jack Smith both went 3-3 at the plate for Mercer Island, while starting pitcher Harrison Goonewardene held the Patriots to one run off of one hit in three innings of work. The game marked Goonewardene’s first appearance from the mound in nearly a year after a back injury cut short his junior season.

“It was good to be back out there,” Goonewardene said. “Obviously I missed it last year for the back half, so it’s good to be back out here and keep getting stronger and keep working.”

Goonewardene did work on both sides of the ball, also helping kickstart Mercer Island’s 11-run third inning from the batter’s box. With two on, none out and the Islanders ahead 2-1 in the bottom of the third, Goonewardene blasted a 2-RBI single up the middle to bring home Scalzo and Josh Stenberg. Mercer Island’s first six batters reached base to start the inning, with Alex Shanks, Parker Simpson, Smith and Scalzo all driving in runs.

Scalzo finished with a team-high four RBI, while Goonewardene, Smith and Simpson each batted in two runs.

Mercer Island coach Dominic Woody said he was happy to see his players make the most of their opportunities while putting pressure on their opponents.

“When you’re in two strike [situations], you get on top of the ball and put it in play, good things happen. You just keep turning the wheel to the next guy and that’s what happened in that inning,” Woody said. “You put the ball in play, you get a couple fortunate bounces and put the pressure on them to make some plays in a tough outfield, and things kind of snowball a little bit.”

The game was technically the second time Mercer Island and Liberty squared off this season. Monday’s originally-scheduled opener between the two teams at Liberty was rained out after five innings, with the Islanders ahead 2-1. Per league rules, the suspended game was played over from the beginning on Wednesday.

“It’s not an official game at five [innings],” Woody said. “So we got to do a little scrimmage and re-up.”