EAST LANSING -The first time Miles Sorise stepped up to the plate against his long-time friend Ben Staley on Tuesday afternoon, the Pioneer High School senior sent a 400-foot line drive to center field.

Canton's Kevin Delapaz chased that ball down at the warning track and it went into the scorebook as a harmless flyout in the top of the sixth inning.

The next time up, Sorise's blast would do some serious damage.

His no-doubt, two-run home run over the scoreboard in left field at Michigan State's McLane Baseball Stadium gave Pioneer a 3-1, eight-inning win over Canton in a Division 1 quarterfinal.

The Pioneers advance to a 4 p.m. semifinal on Nichols Field at Bailey Park in Battle Creek against Macomb L'Anse Creuse North.

More Coverage on MLive.com: Boxscore | Division 1 Bracket

"I've known Ben Staley for years," said Sorise, who gave Staley a friendly brushing near the mound on his way back to the dugout in the sixth inning. "He usually comes after me with fastballs, but he left a hanging curveball that I got a good piece of.

"He's a good guy. They're a good team. I'm just thankful we got the victory today."

Sorise's home run - the only extra-base hit of the day - was a much-needed blast of offense in a game dominated by pitching.

Pioneer's Will Nimke started and allowed just three Canton hits and an unearned run in the fourth inning. Alex Kinch picked up the win with a pair of 1-2-3 innings of relief work.

Canton starter Ryan Bazner had similar success, allowing two hits through five innings before turning it over to Staley. The game-winning home run was the only hit he'd allow.

The Pioneers manufactured a 1-0 lead in the second inning when Sorise led off with a single, moved to second on an Alex Kinch walk, to third on a sacrifice bunt by Nimke and scored on a sacrifice fly by James Strickland.

After Canton's unearned run in the fourth, another Pioneer error kept the Chiefs alive in the sixth. But Nimke got a bases-loaded groundout to escape unscathed.

Neither team threatened again through the seventh and the Pioneers were headed to their third extra-inning contest of the postseason.

With extra-inning district wins over Pinckney and Brighton in their back pocket and the heart of their lineup due up, Pioneer coach Jerry Holley said he had a good feeling about the top of the eighth. When No. 3 hitter Travis Maezes drew a one-out walk and Sorise stepped to the plate, that feeling grew stronger.

"I knew something good was going to happen. I love having (Maezes) on the base for him, because if the ball is in the gap, he's going to score," Holley said. "But when it left his bat, I knew it was gone. And I think he knew it was gone."

Sorise agreed, but he said the big Spartan silhouette on the scoreboard he cleared wasn't his target.

"Coach Holley said we need a big hit. I was just thinking, 'Make contact with the ball.' I wasn't thinking home run or anything. Just get on base, help the team," Sorise said. "Fortunately I got a good piece of it and it went over the fence."

Leadoff hitter Justin Sherman was the only other Pioneer with a hit, a two-out single in the third inning, although they had runners in scoring position in both the fourth and fifth innings thanks to walks.

But nobody crossed the plate until Sorise sent a shot to left that sent Pioneer back to Battle Creek for the first time since 2005.

"Just an awesome feeling. And nobody finer to have hit that home run than Miles," Holley said. "Class kid, great ballplayer and a great leader for us."

Rich Rezler covers high school sports for AnnArbor.com. Contact him at richrezler@annarbor.com or 734-623-2565.