SCHENECTADY — It came down to taking advantage of the opportunities in Friday’s Section II Class AA baseball game between Niskayuna and Schenectady.

The Silver Warriors made the most of their chances, while the Patriots missed out, and that’s why Niskayuna will be heading to the semifinals at Joseph L. Bruno Stadium tonight.

Niskayuna jumped out to a 3-0 lead after two innings against Patriots pitcher Jordan Bernacet, and then sealed the deal with a four-run seventh to defeat Schenectady, 7-0, at Central Park “C” Diamond.

“It made the difference in the game,” said Niskayuna pitcher Ryan Feeney, who allowed four hits in six innings of work. “When you’re pitching with a lead, it makes it a lot easier. You can’t win without scoring runs.”

The fifth-seeded Silver Warriors (12-6), who missed out playing in last year’s tournament, will take on Shenendehowa at 7 p.m.

The game started with the Silver Warriors’ leadoff hitter, Pat O’Brien, reaching base on an error. Feeney followed with a perfectly placed bunt single between the mound and first base. After Feeney was forced out at second on Garrett Whitley’s fielder’s choice, Mike Landry and Carmen Caruso each delivered RBI singles.

Feeney figured in the Silver Warriors’ second-inning run. He reached base on a two-out fielding error. Whitley followed with an RBI double.

“We got off to a nice start against that pitcher,” Niskayuna coach John Furey said. “That’s what we really wanted to do.”

Meanwhile, the fourth-seeded Patriots (13-7) had chances to score in the first and third innings, but came up empty.

In the first, Schenectady had runners on second and third with one out. Feeney got out of it by getting Brandon Gwinner to hit a comebacker to the mound, which kept Zach Schellenger anchored at third base. Then, Feeney struck out Nick Schmid.

The key play came in the third inning. The Patriots had Schellenger, who singled, at third, and Guisseppe Carberg, who walked, at first with one out. Feeney struck out Gwinner for the second out.

With Schmid batting, Carberg broke for second. Catcher Tommy Spataro pump-faked a throw to second, and then saw Schellenger started down the third-base line. Spataro threw down to third, but his throw bounced. Third baseman Mike Gabriele caught the ball on the bounce, and threw home. Spataro just got a piece of Schellenger as he tried to slide around the tag at the plate for the final out of the inning.

“I saw him, and I wanted him,” Spataro said. “I held the ball too long. Mike Gabriele made a nice play. It was a momentum-killer.”

For the Patriots, that play summed up the difficulties they had against the Silver Warriors. Schenectady coach John Isabella didn’t think his team was nervous.

“This was, by far, the worst game we played all season, error-wise, mental and physical,” Isabella said. “But they took advantage of everything we gave them.”

The Silver Warriors sent nine batters to the plate in the seventh. Whitley reached base on a one-out error. Landry followed with a single, and Caruso was hit by a pitch to load the bases.

With the infield in, Spataro lined a two-run single just over the glove of third baseman Carberg.

“I was just trying to stay aggressive,” Spataro said. “The at-bat before, I hit a shot to second. I was just trying to jump on a pitch and drive in a couple of runs.”

Joe Apkarian and Taylor Parks each hit RBI singles to make it a seven-run lead for the Silver Warriors.

“That was huge,” Furey said. “I went down to our assistant coaches and went, ‘Wooh.’ I thought that, at any time, they could pop out and get some runs very easily. I was glad to see us pile up those runs in that inning.”

Niskayuna 210 000 4 — 7 10 0

Schenectady 000 000 0 — 0  4 3

Feeney, Toy (7) and Spataro; Bernacet and Schellenger.

Brennan McCormack smacked a two-run home run in the bottom of the sixth inning to give defending Section II Class AA champion Shenendehowa the lead for good in a 4-2 quarterfinal win over No. 9 Guilderland on Friday.

The top-seeded Plainsmen had fallen behind, 2-1, in the top of the inning. Matt Drum and Justin Yurchak also homered for Shenendehowa (20-1). Aaron Kalish collected the win for the Plainsmen with five strikeouts and no walks.

Sophomore Matt Pierce took the loss for the 12-10 Dutchmen, striking out six and walking four over 52⁄3 innings. Zach Formica homered to lead off the first inning.

Shenendehowa will play No. 5 Niskayuna, a 7-0 winner over No. 4 Schenectady, in the semifinals tonight at 7 p.m. at Joe Bruno Stadium.

Third-seeded Columbia edged No. 6 LaSalle, 5-4, scoring twice in the home seventh after the Cadets had taken a 4-3 lead in the top half.

The Blue Devils’ Kevin Smith scored three runs on a 2-for-2 day, doubling once and stealing a base. He also came on in relief in the seventh, allowing one run but booking the win.

Columbia will face No. 2 Christian Brothers Academy in today’s 4 p.m. semi at Joe Bruno Stadium.

The Brothers beat No. 7 Shaker, 4-1, led by Matt Hamel, who was 2-for-4 with a triple and two runs. Justin Decker was 2-for-3 and Zack De­Thomasis hit a two-run home run.

In Class A, top seed and defending champ Queensbury, a state semifinalist last year, was ousted by No. 8 Averill Park, 5-2. The Warriors’ Tyler Childrose struck out nine while walking just two and allowing one earned run. Sam Beaulac doubled, drove in three runs and scored one, while Ben Reinisch added a solo homer.

Amsterdam put up five runs in the top of the seventh inning to beat Scotia-Glenville, 5-1. Andrew Rouse got the rally rolling with a two-run single with no outs. Eric Robertshaw had a single and a double for the No. 5 Rams. On the mound, Julian Gallup struck out eight and walked two for the win.

Dan Zeglen doubled for the No. 4 Tartans. On the mound, he allowed only two singles through the first six innings.

Schalmont hurler Matt Capovani held Cairo-Durham to four hits in a 4-0 Class BB quarterfinal, striking out six. The Sabres’ Brion Dufek and Chris Hamilton both had two singles, Dufek driving in a run.

The Sabres (20-1) will play against Albany Academy in the semifinals today at 4 p.m. at Bleecker Stadium.

In the only Class B quarterfinal, No. 6 Voorheesville’s Kistian Singh struck out 10 while allowing just one hit in the Blackbirds’ 4-0 win over No. 3 Hoosick Falls. The one hit, a single by Wyatt Whittman, came with one out in the bottom of the seventh.

Voorheesville, the defending sectional Class C champ and state semifinalist, will play No. 2 Chatham in the semifinals today at 1 p.m. at Veterans’ Park in Saratoga Springs.

Hoosic Valley threw four pitchers who combined to three-hit No. 4 Lake George in a 16-3 win for the No. 5 Indians. Matt Espey and John Lucas both singled three times for Hoosic Valley, and Jared Morello and Don Espey both doubled.

Fourth-seeded Mekeel Christian Academy topped No. 5 Salem, 6-2, in a Class D quarterfinal and will face No. 1 Fort Ann, the defending state champion, today at 4 p.m. at East Field in Glens Falls.

Salem (6-6) led, 2-1, before the Lions (11-10) got an RBI double from Dan Gregory in the home third to tie the game. After Scott Voelker moved Gregory to third with a single, Gregory came home with the eventual winning run on a passed ball.

Gregory finished 2-for-4 with two doubles, and Tyler Guido had a triple and an RBI. Salem’s Josh Steele doubled in a run in the first inning.

The Johnstown High School baseball team is back in the final four after putting up four runs in the fifth inning to beat Hudson, 8-5, in a Section II Class BB quarterfinal game Thursday.

Matt Szurek and Connor Rodecker sandwiched RBI singles around a two-run single by Jon Heroth in the fifth as the Sir Bills erased a 5-2 deficit.

Bob Brown had a triple, single and two RBI for Johnstown (No. 6 seed, 13-7), which reached the 2013 Class B title game before losing to Schalmont.

The Sir Bills will play Saratoga Central Catholic in the semifinals Saturday at Bleecker Stadium at a time to be determined.

Jake Moline fired a three-hitter, struck out 11 and had two singles and an RBI in Saratoga Catholic’s 11-0 Class BB win over Catskill.

Connor Morgan fired a three-hitter, and Kyle Lancto went 3-for-4 with two doubles and the game-winning RBI as Albany Academy clipped Schuylerville, 2-1, in a Class BB quarterfinal.

Zack Shippee scattered three hits and doubled a run home to lift top-seeded Corinth past Class B foe Tamarac, 3-0.

Zak Shaw struck out 11 in a six-hitter, and Brandon Baker had two singles and an RBI as Fonda-Fultonville beat Stillwater, 6-0, in Class B.

Kody Skype and Steve Munson homered to back Caleb Gregg’s one-hit, 14 strikeout pitching as Chatham (No. 2, 15-6) beat Mechanicville, 7-0, in Class B. Nico Dumas had a third-inning hit for the Red Raiders.

Joey Butler gave up six hits and fanned nine in Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake’s 4-1 Class A quarterfinal win at Troy. Josh Quesada had two doubles and an RBI for the Spartans.

Tommy Miller gave up one hit — a sixth-inning single to Drew Fureno — and fanned 12 as Maple Hill eliminated Fort Plain in Class C, 2-0.

CLASS A

BURNT HILLS-BALLSTON LAKE 4, TROY 1

BH-BL 110 110 0 — 4 6 1

Troy 001 000 0 — 1 6 4

Butler and Maynard; Yamin, Seabury (6) and Julian.