[youtube http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=vz08fO5U7RE]
<\/span>If there was any question whether Pat-Med<\/b> would have a letdown in the first round of the playoffs, that notion was dispelled quickly with a 5-1 victory over Northport.<\/span>
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<\/span>Brett Malm<\/b> 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,\u00a0<\/b>Albany-bound\u00a0Matt Codispoti<\/b> deposited a long home run to left center field to give the Raiders a 2-0 three batters into the game.\u00a0<\/span>
<\/span>That was all Andrew Garcia<\/b> would need–he struck out four in a complete game victory for his sixth victory of the season.\u00a0<\/span>
<\/span>In the third inning, the Raiders added to the lead when Adelphi-bound\u00a0Brett Malm<\/b> drove in Codispoti with a home run to the same spot the catcher hit it to in the first inning.<\/span>
<\/span>In the fifth inning, after Rich Ciufo<\/b> 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.<\/span>
<\/span>Garcia used a steady diet of breaking ball pitches and displayed some impressive composure during the only time the lead was in question.<\/span>
<\/span>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<\/b> and a fly out to the center fielder to end the threat.<\/span>
<\/span>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.<\/span>
<\/span>Northport starter Brian Herrmann<\/b> threw the CG, but was tagged with the loss. He allowed five ER and struck out three batters.<\/span>
<\/span>Pat-Med advances to play Smithtown West on Monday, while Northport moves to the loser’s bracket.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"