When the sun stopped shining on Nick Kendrick, he shined on his own.

The Seneca Valley senior left-hander survived a shaky first inning on his way to pitching a three-hit shutout at Gateway Tuesday night at Pullman Park.

The Raiders pushed across a run in the fifth inning to secure a 1-0 triumph in a WPIAL Class AAAA first-round baseball playoff game.

"You can't give Nick Kendrick enough credit in this game," SV coach Eric Semega said. "He was simply outstanding."

He was almost out of the game in the first inning.

The Gators' John Sarandis greeted Kendrick (7-1) with a ringing double down the left-field line. With one out, Kendrick walked Gateway's Robert Kalkstein and Shane Henkel, then fell behind Mike Mulkerin 3-0.

"There was a ray of sunlight shining through the stands and it got in my eyes each time I would land," Kendrick said. "I was having a lot of trouble with it."

Semega paid his pitcher a visit when the count on Mulkerin was 2-0.

"He told me about the sun and I said it was just a ray shining on him to put him in the spotlight," Semega said. "It was kind of a dumb thing to say, but we both smiled and it seemed to relax him a little."

Mulkerin hit a 3-1 pitch in the air behind first base and was called out on the infield fly rule, though the ball wasn't caught. Scott Cavrak took a called third strike to end the threat.

The Gators managed only three more baserunners the rest of the night.

"I had to concentrate," Kendrick said. "All I saw was the catcher's glove. Nothing else.

"Once the sun was gone after the first batter of the second inning, I was fine."

Kendrick threw 30 pitches in the first inning. He threw 117 for the game, 72 for strikes, and struck out 10.

"You usually get one chance to crack the egg and ours was the first inning," Gateway coach Don Nania said. "If we break through that inning, they probably go to their bullpen because that kid would have thrown too many pitches."

Gateway junior right-hander Shane Henkel, who is being recruited by Pitt and other Division I schools, also pitched a three-hitter. He retired the first 10 batters he faced and Seneca Valley didn't get a hit until the fifth inning.

That's also when the Raiders scored.

Brad Johnson started it with a slow roller to third for an infield single. Blake Henderson bunted him to second and Kyle Sasala hit a high chopper to second for an infield single.

With runners at first and third, Matt Plautz took a called third strike and Henkel got two strikes on Vinnie Rice. Sasala tried stealing second base and pinch-runner David Coradi scored when the catcher's throw was deflected into center field.

"We found a way to scratch out a run and that was the difference in this game," Semega said.

After the first inning, Gateway got only one runner as far as second base. Steve Vranka was hit by a pitch to start the sixth and got to second when Henkel grounded to second on a hit-and-run for the second out. But Kendrick struck out Mulkerin to end the inning.

The Gators entered the game averaging 7.5 runs per game. They had not been shut out all season.

"When your curve and changeup are 15 mph slower than your fastball, it can screw a bunch of hitters up," Semega said. "That's the kind of stuff Nick has."

Seneca Valley 000 010 0 — 1 3 0Gateway 000 000 0 — 0 3 1W: Nick Kendrick (7 IP) 10 K, 2 BB.

L: Shane Henkel (7 IP) 7 K, 1 BB.

Seneca Valley (11-6): Brad Johnson 1B, Blake Henderson 1B, Kyle Sasala 1B

Gateway (13-7): John Sarandis 2B, Scott Scheinberg 1B, Mike Vizzini 1B

TBD: Seneca Valley vs. Kiski Area