[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vz08fO5U7RE]
If there was any question whether Pat-Med would have a letdown in the first round of the playoffs, that notion was dispelled quickly with a 5-1 victory over Northport.
Brett Malm made a Major League-caliber diving play up the middle on the first batter of the game and in the bottom half of the first, Albany-bound Matt Codispoti deposited a long home run to left center field to give the Raiders a 2-0 three batters into the game.
That was all Andrew Garcia would need–he struck out four in a complete game victory for his sixth victory of the season.
In the third inning, the Raiders added to the lead when Adelphi-bound Brett Malm drove in Codispoti with a home run to the same spot the catcher hit it to in the first inning.
In the fifth inning, after Rich Ciufo opened the inning with a single to left, Garcia hit a fly ball to right that enabled Ciufo to tag up. It paid off when Brett Malm hit a grounder to the right side that snuck past the first baseman for an RBI single.
Garcia used a steady diet of breaking ball pitches and displayed some impressive composure during the only time the lead was in question.
In the top of the sixth, the Tigers threatened with a one-out single followed by consecutive walks. After a visit to the mound, Garcia settled down and induced an infield pop up by Joe Stockman and a fly out to the center fielder to end the threat.
He worked around a 13-pitch at bat that resulted in a hit by pitch to the second batter of the seventh inning and slammed the door when the following batter hit an infield single that Ciufo made a heads-up play to tag out the runner who took a hard turn around third to end the game.
Northport starter Brian Herrmann threw the CG, but was tagged with the loss. He allowed five ER and struck out three batters.
Pat-Med advances to play Smithtown West on Monday, while Northport moves to the loser’s bracket.
Andrew Garcia Throw CG, Malm and Codispoti Smack 2-R HR in Win over Northport
