While top seeds across the Rhode Island Connie Mack playoff bracket were bowing out or staving off upsets in three-game series, Warwick PAL had no trouble surviving the first round. After a 6-1 win in game one of its series with Providence on Sunday, Warwick won 8-1 on Monday to clinch a sweep and a spot in the quarterfinals.

“We’re playing pretty well,” said Warwick manager Pete Palermo. “We’re still a little sloppy. We need to cut down on our mistakes. But we’re playing pretty good baseball. Sweeping the series is a pretty big benefit for us.”

Warwick, the No. 1 seed from the Southeast Division, will match up with division and city rival Flood Auto in the quarterfinals, beginning Thursday. Flood upset Northwest No. 2 seed Blackstone in its opening-round series.

Northeast No. 1 Elmwood Sports was also the victim of an upset, while Northwest No. 1 Cranston – the two-time defending state champ – had to rally for a pair of one-run victories to beat Coventry in three games.

Warwick was never in similar danger.

Mike Broccoli followed up a dominant game-one performance by Bobby Lineberger with a strong start in game two. He pitched into the sixth without allowing a run, before Providence took advantage of a few miscues to get on the board in that frame. With the bases still loaded, Chris Duchesneau relieved Broccoli and escaped the jam without further trouble.

“Mike pitched a great game and Chris slammed the door,” Palermo said. “Chris came into a key situation, but he got them one-two-three and just stopped their momentum right there.”

There was plenty of support behind the solid pitching. Warwick scored two in its first at-bat, as Evan Broccoli doubled with the bases loaded in a two-run first inning. Warwick added a run in the second on a Joe Paliotte walk and a Lineberger RBI double. It stayed a 3-0 game until the fifth, when Warwick took advantage of a parade of walks to score two more runs. Mike Broccoli had an RBI single in the sixth, and after Providence’s brief rally, Broccoli and Chris Ray had singles in a two-run seventh inning.

“We had guys on base a lot with walks and we had some key hits,” Palermo said.

After getting out of the jam in the sixth, Duchesneau pitched a scoreless seventh to seal the win for Warwick. The team has now made the quarterfinals in consecutive years. It lost to Cranston in that round last season.

Flood Auto, Bishop Hendricken’s entry in the league, awaits this time. The Flood team has a younger squad than many of its counterparts, but the first-round upset serves notice that it won’t go quietly. Flood and Warwick split two meetings in the regular season.

“It should be an interesting series,” Palermo said. “We have a little time. We’ll get everything lined up and make sure we’re ready to go.”

Game one of the series is tentatively scheduled for Thursday at 5:30 p.m., at Mickey Stevens. Game two is expected to be held on Friday at Bishop Hendricken’s Ray Pepin Field.

“The team is excited,” Palermo said. “We’ve got a lot of kids who really enjoy playing baseball. We’re confident. We’ve got a good group. I think we’ve got a shot to keep it going.”