Nick Morena throws four-hitter to help Sachem North eliminate Longwood

Ominous skies and the threat of an early exit hung over Sachem North's title hopes before Friday's Suffolk Class AA elimination baseball game with Longwood.

The top-seeded Flaming Arrows were coming off a heart wrenching, extra-inning loss to No. 8 West Islip on Thursday that sent them to the losers' bracket of the double-elimination tournament.

"We're a senior-laden team and I told them you don't want to be home on the couch come Monday," Sachem North skipper Tom Gambino said. "We were coming off a difficult loss and needed to rebound right away so the season doesn't end."

Junior righty Nick Morena knows a lot about pitching in a pressure-packed situation. He earned the win in the League II title-clincher over Connetquot.

Morena was spot-on again Friday as he fired a four-hitter, struck out seven and walked one as Sachem North eliminated Longwood, 3-1, to advance and host Monday's fourth-round game against No. 6 Smithtown West.

"I was working with a quick pace, which I like," said Morena, who improved to 6-1. "I had great rhythm and was working ahead of hitters."

Morena was staked to a 1-0 first-inning lead when leadoff hitter Steven Foster singled, moved to second on a groundout and scored on a two-out single from John Weinhofer.

SEE PHOTOSSachem North vs. Longwood

"That was a clutch hit and put us on top early," Foster said. "It took all the pressure off."

Sachem North (19-4) added two runs in the third. Rob Sciarrotta doubled off the 365-foot sign in left-center and scored on Tyler Patane's opposite-field double. Patane scored on an infield error to make it 3-0.

"This was a nice bounce-back win," Gambino said.

West Islip beat Sachem North, 12-8, in 10 innings in a game that was suspended and continued over two days.

SEE PHOTOSThis week's Class AA baseball team rankings

"The difference between winning and losing in every playoff game is a matter of who makes the plays and who doesn't," Foster said. "Today we made all the plays and got the big hits and we move on after beating a great team that a lot of people thought could win the county crown."