CALLERY — A long rest for a baseball team can go one of two ways, especially going into a championship series.

“We had the week off, and you never know how it’s going to come out,” Mars player-manager Brendan Malone said. “Obviously we came out pretty good with three 3-run home runs — it’s what we like —how we play.”

Mars received 11 total hits from seven different players Monday night in defeating Cranberry Township, 10-1, in Game 1 of the Eagle County baseball playoff championship series at Callery Field.

This series is a best-of-five, and Cranberry player-manager Bill Clinefelter knows there is plenty of baseball to be played.

“The year we won the championship series, we lost Game 1 of that series,” Clinefelter said. “Obviously you don’t want to go down 0-2, but it is what it is — been there before.”

Matt DeSalvo got the win on the mound for Mars, throwing a complete game with seven strikeouts and two walks.

“Matt has been the better pitcher here since I’ve been playing,” Malone said. “That was just the second run he’s let up this year and it was unearned. When Matt pitches, we expect to score one run and win the game.”

DeSalvo’s lone run allowed came in the top of the first, when a throwing error on a steal moved Cranberry’s Justin Stewart into scoring position, allowing Brandon Pouch to collect a run-scoring single for a 1-0 lead.

Mars fired back in the bottom half of the first with a three-run homer from Rick Devereaux to take a 3-1 lead.

Two more three-run blasts from Malone and Cody Dolan more than put the game away, allowing Mars to take home the nine-run victory.

With the series now shifting to Cranberry, Clinefelter feels his team will have the advantage in Game 2.

“I think playing at our field might be a little different,” he said. “It’s more along the lines of the major league dimensions. Mars has big guys that can mash the ball and that’s how that team is built.

“Some of those balls would’ve been caught; would’ve stayed in the yard. It wouldn’t have made a difference in the grand scheme at the end because we didn’t score.”

Overall, Malone was pleased with his team’s performance in the field, even in not the most ideal playing conditions.

“I mean the only goof we had was that throw at second (no one covering the bag) in the first on the steal,” Malone said. “Other than that, everybody made the plays and this field is very tough to play on — I mean, it used to be a cow pasture.”

Lake Pry took the loss for Cranberry, going six innings with two strikeouts and a walk.

Again, Clinefelter stressed the lack of runs.

“(Pry) battled, we didn’t give him any run support what-so-ever,” he said. “You need that, but he worked hard. I give him credit for that — he’s a gamer.”

Cranberry will look to even the series at 6 p.m. Tuesday in Game 2 at North Boundary Park.

Cranberry 100 000 0 — 1 6 2

Mars 330 031 x — 10 11 1

W: Matt DeSalvo 7IP (7K, 2BB). L: Lake Pry 6IP (2K, 1BB).

Cranberry: John Brittner 2-1B, Justin Stewart 1B, Dave Coradi 1B

Mars: Brendan Malone 2-1B, HR, Rick Devereaux 1B, 2B, HR, Cody Dolan HR

Tuesday: Mars at Cranberry, 6 p.m. at North Boundary Park