Norwich Back atop Futures League with Tuesday Victory

The Norwich Sea Unicorns stayed hot offensively, winning big in Vermont taking the series opener 11-6 at Centennial Field. Norwich’s offensive eruption last night returned the Sea Unicorns back atop the Futures League standings with a 10-5 record through 15 games.

It was a monster 2^nd inning for the Sea Unicorns offense, striking for 5 runs to take an early 5-1 lead. The Sea Unicorns sent five batters to the plate before an out was recorded in the frame and held a 2-0 lead before Vermont starter Jackson Beatie was able to spot his first out. Norwich manufactured their offense playing small ball with 4 of their 5 hits in the inning coming via infield knocks and took advantage of a pair of walks as well as an error committed by the Lake Monster second baseman. The 5-run inning for the visitors was the knockout blow for Beattie who was later replaced in the third.

The offensive rampage for Norwich continued despite the pitching change made by Vermont in the third. Reliever Jack McLaughlin was only able to record 5 outs in his appearance surrendering 6 runs on 6 hits. Norwich did all their damage during innings two through four, adding a pair in the third and four more in the fourth. It was a commanding 11-5 lead for Norwich after 4 innings and that would be all the fuel Norwich would need to cruise to a series opening victory in Vermont. In fact, 15 of the 16 runs scored overall occurred during the first 4 innings.

Norwich starter Callen Powers went 2 innings in his start and allowed a pair of runs on 6 hits. Manager Kevin Murphy made his first call to the bullpen in the third inning for reliever Andrew Gaines.  Unfortunately, the outing for Gaines was marred by an error committed by his third baseman setting the stage for a 3-run 3^rd inning for the host. Of the 3 runs that crossed the plate only 1 was charged to Gaines.

Gavin Hawkes was electric in his long relief role leading Norwich to their series opening victory. Hawkes secured his 3^rd win of the summer tossing 4 innings of shutout baseball. Over his four innings of work, Hawkes punched out 8 and allowed just 4 hits. On the season the Yardley, Pennsylvania native holds an impressive ERA of 0.77 in 11.2 innings along with 14 strikeouts.

Offensively Norwich received contributions throughout their lineup in the 11-run offensive explosion on 12 hits. 7 of Norwich’s 9 starters recorded at least a hit and four different players enjoyed multi-hit performances. Christian Stratis who was named Sea Unicorns Player of the Week continued to surge at the plate leading the way with 3 hits last night along with 2 RBI’s. Stratis is now batting .447 on the season and has RBIs in 3 straight games along with a 10-game hitting streak to begin his summer. Brennan Hyde also had a nice day at the plate with a pair of hits and drove in 2 more runs to give the Rutgers transfer a team leading 13 RBIs which ranks 2^nd in the league.

These same two teams will clash once again to close out the 2-game series in Vermont. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. EST. Tim Lewis will get the baseball tonight for Norwich and Will Harrigan for Vermont to conclude the series.

Rondini Shines Once Again as Norwich Wins Big

The Norwich Sea Unicorns earned the series split with a convincing victory over the Brockton Rox 7-1 on Sunday Funday at Dodd Stadium. Norwich’s lopsided victory moves them back into second place of the Futures League standings, improving to 9-5 on the season.

It was a fast start for the Norwich offense striking for a pair of runs in the 1^st to take an early 2-0 lead. The first two batters reached base safely for the Sea Unicorns and quickly moved up a station on a passed ball. Christian Stratis got the home side on the board with a sacrifice fly to right to bring home Anthony Tirado. AJ Soldra came through for Norwich with a pair of outs, lining an RBI single into left field to bring home Brennan Hyde. The inning ended abruptly after Soldra was caught stealing second base to prevent any further damage in the inning.

The fast start for Norwich supplied starter Andrew Rondini with some early run support. It was another dominant outing for the reigning Futures League Pitcher of the Week, firing 6 innings of 1-hit shutout baseball. Rondini’s 6 scoreless innings is his longest start of the summer and his first victory. Overall, Rondini finished the afternoon with 6 strikeouts and lowered his season ERA to 0.60.

There was no more scoring in the game until the bottom of the 5^th inning. Norwich extended their lead to 3, and later they broke the game open thanks to a 3-run 7^th inning. Offensively Norwich received contributions throughout their lineup en route to a 7-1 victory over the Rox. The bottom of the order was a catalyst for Norwich, receiving multi-hit performances from Nick Sturino and Shaun Callahan, who were batting 7^th and 9^th respectively in the Sea Unicorn batting order.

The bullpen for Norwich was lights out to secure the series finale victory. Ethan Lewis tossed a scoreless 7^th inning managing to maneuver around a pair of base hits. David Rodriguez closed out the ballgame for Norwich and was impressive in his Sea Unicorns debut, striking out 5 in his two innings of relief. The lone run for Brockton occurred in the 9^th on a throwing error made by the Norwich catcher trying to pickoff the runner stealing second and his throw sailed into center field allowing the lead base runner at third to come home and score.

Norwich is back in action on Tuesday to begin a 2-game series on the road against the Vermont Lake Monsters. First pitch is schedule for 6:35 EST. Norwich returns home on Thursday for a meeting with the top seeded Westfield Starfires.

The Norwich Sea Unicorns were defeated 7-4 last night to open their weekend series against the Brockton Rox. The loss for Norwich was their second in as many nights and they are now 8-5 on the season.

There was no scoring until the top of the 3^rd when Brockton struck for three runs to take an early 3-0 lead. Brockton took advantage of some production from the bottom of their order and some command trouble by Norwich starter Justin Marks. The danger began immediately thanks to a lead off double and later a hit batter to give the visitors a pair of baserunners. A wild pitch moved the runners into scoring position and they later came home to score on an RBI single. Later in the frame a sharply hit ball towards second produced the final run in the inning for the visitors.

The offense from the Rox continued to surge in the fourth as they added another run to expand their lead to 4. Marks finished his night surrendering 4 runs on 5 hits and struck out three.

Norwich was held to one hit offensively by Brockton starter Ryan Moriano, who was dominant in his outing until the bottom of the 6^th. The Sea Unicorn offense finally came to life thanks to Brennan Hyde who crushed his first home run of the summer for Norwich with a towering blast clearing the extended wall in left field. Hyde’s home run ended the night for Moriano, who tossed 5.1 innings, allowing just two hits, struck out two and did not issue any walks. JT Gunzy was brought into the ballgame and immediately found himself in trouble after allowing a base hit to Alex Irizarry and a RBI triple by Christian Stratis to cut the Brockton lead in half. Unfortunately, Norwich stranded their one out base runner on third when it was ruled that Stratis did not tag up on a fly ball Nick Tomasetto hit to left field to end the inning and the threat for Norwich.

Reliever Andrew Gaines shined out of the bullpen once again for Norwich this summer, tossing a pair of shutout innings. Gaines allowed just one hit in his outing while striking out four and has now lowered his ERA to 0.96 on the season.

There was no more scoring after Norwich cut the Brockton lead in half until the 9^th inning. The inning began for Brockton with a lead off double, and a wild pitch later advanced the runner third. With one out in the inning and a base runner for Brockton at third, Norwich moved their infield in. The move for Norwich paid off when shortstop Trey Bagasse was able to throw out the runner trying to go home on a sharply hit ground ball hit his way. Norwich was almost able to escape the jam, but a costly error with a pair of outs extended the inning and Brockton was able to take full advantage of it thanks to a 3-run home run to increase their lead to 5.

Norwich was able to chip into the Rox lead in the bottom of the 9^th but came up a little short. The Sea Unicorns were able to rally to cut the Rox lead to three and continued to battle in the inning bringing the tying run to the plate with two outs. Riley Williams was able to escape the jam stranding both base runners with a strikeout to seal the deal for the visitors.

These same two teams will battle once again this afternoon to close out the weekend series. First pitch is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. EST.

It is Sunday Funday at Dodd Stadium with postgame Kids Run the Bases and Have a Catch in the Outfield with their families. Baseballs for have a catch are presented by CT Dot. Sundays are also out First Mate’s Club Days presented by K&H Equipment of Plainfield.

The Norwich Sea Unicorns fell on the road against Worcester 10-7 snapping, their 3-game winning streak. The loss for Norwich drops them a half game back of the Westfield Starfires for the top spot in the Futures League Standings.

Worcester came out swinging, striking for a pair of runs in the bottom of the first to take an early 2-0 lead. Norwich starter Bryson Plante struggled on the mound lasting just 1.1 innings, surrendering 6 runs on 5 hits and forcing Manager Kevin Murphy to have to make an early call to the bullpen in the second inning.

The Sea Unicorns offense battled all game to give Norwich a chance despite the offensive surge from the Bravehearts. After trailing 2-0, Nick Tomasetto came through in the clutch to help the Sea Unicorns level the game in the second inning, with his RBI double to left field driving home AJ Soldra and Aidan Baglino.

Unfortunately, the stalemate disappeared in a hurry thanks to a 4-run second inning from the hosts. Plante was able to retire the first batter he faced and then allowed the next four batters to reach base safely after issuing a pair of walks and a pair of hits. Reliever Liam Carroll was brought into the game and faced immediate danger with the bases loaded. A wild pitch and a pair of base hits gave Worcester a 6-2 lead.

Norwich was able to cut the deficit in half in the top of the third inning on a mammoth 2-run blast off the bat of Alex Irizarry. The home run for Irizarry was his first of the summer and RBI’s 7 and 8. Worcester was able to restore their four-run lead on a 2-run home run of their own in the bottom of the 4^th. The Sea Unicorns responded in the 7^th to cut the Worcester lead to 1 but that would be as close as Norwich would come.

Offensively Norwich received some nice production throughout their lineup recording their second consecutive 10-hit game. Third baseman, Nick Tomasetto led the offense with 3 hits and 3 RBI’s and raised his batting average to a team best .481. Catcher Aidan Baglino continued his strong start to the summer adding a pair of hits and an RBI. Baglino now has hits in 3 straight contests and 4 RBI’s during this stretch.

The Sea Unicorns will look to bounce back tonight as they return home for a weekend series with the Brockton Rox. The Saturday Entertainment Series continues tonight at Dodd Stadium beginning at 4:30 p.m. at the Hole in the Wall Bar on the first base concourse. It is Swifty Saturday with Daley’s DJ Service presented by Yale New Haven Health and L&M Hospital. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. EST.

The Norwich Sea Unicorns battled back in the late innings to defeat the Road Warriors 3-2 to win their third consecutive ballgame. Norwich is now 8-3 and are back atop the Futures League standings with a league best .722-win percentage after 11 games.

Norwich opened the scoring in the bottom of the third inning to take an early 1-0 lead. Anthony Tirado began the inning with a lead off single into center field. Tirado later stole second base to advance into scoring position. Later in the inning, Brennan Hyde delivered with an RBI single poked into center field to bring home Tirado. The RBI for Hyde is his team leading 9^th of the summer.

It was a pitchers’ duel at Dodd Stadium between Norwich starter Teo Spadaccini and Road Warrior starter Owen McHugh. Both starters went 5 innings for their respective teams and the only run that crossed the plate was the run for Norwich in the third. McHugh allowed 5 hits scattered throughout his innings, and Spadaccini turned in his most quality start of the summer allowing just 2 hits over his 5 innings work while striking out four.

The late innings sparked the offense at Dodd Stadium and set up a dramatic finish on Thirsty Thursday. Joe Muzio gave the Road Warriors the lead with a towering 2-run home run over the right field wall against reliever AJ Rooks. Once again Norwich faced another late inning deficit in a one-run contest. Norwich already this season has played in 7 games decided by two-runs or fewer including last night. Ryan Grace once again was the saving grace for the Sea Unicorns, delivering a game-tying RBI triple off the right field wall to drive home Alex Irizarry from first. Christian Stratis followed with a one-out RBI single rocketed into left field to restore the lead for Norwich in the home half of the 8^th.

Giovanni Conte locked down the victory for Norwich recording the final 8 outs after entering the game with one-out in the top of the 7^th. Conte shined once again for the Sea Unicorns to continue his dominance out of the bullpen allowing just 1 hit while punching out three. The UCONN product has allowed just 2 hits all summer through 8.2 innings of work along with 10 strikeouts.

The three-game homestand was a perfect one for the Sea Unicorns as they outscored their opponents by a run margin of 17 to 6. Norwich will head to the road tonight for a meeting with the Worcester Bravehearts at Fitton Field before returning home on Saturday for a 2-game series with the Brockton Rox this weekend. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. EST.

The Norwich Sea Unicorns completed the sweep over the Vermont Lake Monsters on Education Day posting an 8-2 victory. The win for Norwich improves their record to 7-3 through their first 10 games of the season.

It was a fast start for the Norwich offense, quickly getting to Lake Monsters starter Gabe White in the first inning. The Sea Unicorns were able to take advantage of the command trouble from the Vermont starter, who allowed a walk and hit a batter to give Norwich a pair of early baserunners. Christian Stratis did damage with a pair of runners in scoring position on a RBI double roped into left field to drive in Garrett Larsen and AJ Soldra.

After escaping the first inning with minimized damage, White returned to the rubber for the second but ran into some early traffic, allowing the first 2 batters he faced to reach base safely. Vermont made an early call to the bullpen to try mitigating any further damage done in the inning. The Lake Monsters were able to turn a pivotal double play later in the inning to allow Norwich to only bring home a run in the frame after loading the bases with no outs.

The Norwich offense throughout the ballgame came in waves, scoring runs in 6 different innings en route to their monster victory to cap off the series against Vermont. Christian Stratis paved the way for the Sea Unicorns offense, going 4 for 4 with 4 RBI’s and has now improved his batting average to .440 on the season. Shortstop Nick Sturino also had a multi-hit afternoon for the Sea Unicorns. AJ Soldra delivered his first hit of the summer in style with a RBI triple to the left field wall in the 4^th inning. Catcher Aidan Baglino, who has started the last 6 consecutive contests for Norwich behind the plate, shined once again at the plate with a pair of RBI’s thanks to a double in the 7^th cranked into right. Overall, the Sea Unicorns were able to supply production throughout their lineup with 10 hits and 6 different starters recording hits in the winning effort.

On the mound, Norwich received a strong outing from Starter Tim Lewis who allowed just 1 run in 4.2 innings. The lone run Lewis surrendered came in the 5^th inning on a pair of hits. Lewis finished his outing with 4 strikeouts and has now lowered his season ERA to 2.08. Gavin Hawkes carried Norwich to the finish line recording the final 13 outs to earn his second victory of the summer. Hawkes was electric in his relief appearance allowing just 1 hit to the Lake Monsters offense while punching out 4. The only blemish in the outing for Hawkes was the solo home run in the 9^th inning. A key contributing factor in the success of yesterday’s pitching performance for the Sea Unicorns was the strike rate from Lewis and Hawkes who combined to throw 68% of their pitchers for strikes.

The Sea Unicorns are back in action tonight against the Road Warriors to close out the 3-game homestand. It is Thirsty Thursday tonight with specials on Narragansett presented by The Famous Narragansett Beer Company. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 EST.

Norwich Storms Back After Trailing Early

The Norwich Sea Unicorns took the opener of the 2-game series against the Vermont Lake Monsters with a 6-3 victory. Norwich used a big 5^th inning in the comeback effort last night to secure their 6^th win of the season.

It was a slow start for the Sea Unicorns falling into an early hole trailing 3-0. Vermont quickly applied the pressure against Norwich Starter Jack Ohman striking for a pair of runs in the top of the 1^st. The Lake Monsters did their early damage taking advantage of three walks issued by Ohman in the first, along with a pair of errors committed by the Norwich defense. Vermont added another run in the third on a passed ball to bring home their 3^rd run of the ballgame.

Norwich had to make an early call to the bullpen, making a pitching change in the 3^rd inning for reliever Andrew Gaines with a pair of outs and a bases loaded jam. Gaines was able to put away the first batter he faced with a critical strikeout to end the inning and keep Norwich in the game.

After being held scoreless through the first 4 frames by Lake Monsters starter Jackson Beattie, Norwich was able to finally crack through in the 5^th inning. The Sea Unicorns began the inning with 4 straight hits begun by catcher Aidan Baglino who singled to center. Gavin Shaddix followed with a single of his own to give Norwich runners at first and second with nobody out. The turning point in the inning came next when Anthony Tirado legged out an infield base hit on a softly hit ball up the first base line and the Lake Monster first basemen was unable to apply the tag on the speedy Tirado and Baglino was able to come home and score amidst all the chaos in the infield. Alex Irizarry kept the line moving for the Sea Unicorns with a double sliced down the right field line to drive home Shaddix and cut the Lake Monster lead to 1. Norwich was able to even the ballgame and take the lead on a sacrifice fly by Brennan Hyde to bring home Tirado who tagged up from 3^rd and a throwing error by the Lake Monster shortstop allowed the hosts to take their first lead of the night.

The Sea Unicorns were able to add on a pair of important insurance markers in the bottom of the 6^th to take a commanding 6-3 lead. Nick Tomasetto began the inning for Norwich with an infield base hit and was later brought home on a ringing RBI double by catcher Aidan Baglino. Alex Irrizarry came through once again for Norwich with his second RBI of the game on a base hit into right field.

Despite trailing by three 3 early in the ballgame, Norwich was able to respond with 6 unanswered runs in the comeback effort last night. The bullpen for the Sea Unicorns was instrumental in the series opener tossing 6.1 innings of shutout baseball allowing just 4 hits while striking out 11. Andrew Gaines earned the victory (2-0) for Norwich in relief and Jimmy Mulvaney earned the save (1) recording the final 6 outs to close out Norwich’s 6^th win of the summer and help improve the Sea Unicorns record to 6-3.

These same two teams will meet once again this morning to conclude the series. It is the final Education Day of the season at Dodd Stadium presented by Pequot Museum and Research Center. First pitch is scheduled for 11 am EST.

The Norwich Sea Unicorns dropped a nail bitter to the Brockton Rox 5-4 to close out their weekend road trip. The loss for Norwich was their second in three games and their third one-run loss of the season.

The Sea Unicorns began the scoring in the top of the 2^nd to take an early 1-0 lead. Anthony Tirado once again sparked the offense for Norwich with a lead off single to center. Tirado found his way into scoring position on his 5^th stolen base of the summer. A Christian Stratis flyout to right field was deep enough to right field to allow the speedy Tirado to tag up and advance to third with one out. Norwich continued to play small ball in the inning as Tirado came home to score on a fielder’s choice ground out to short to grab the early lead.

Brockton responded in the bottom of the inning to even the game at 1. The rally began with a one out double into center field to give the Rox a runner in scoring position. Starter Andrew Rondini was able to strike out the following batter for the second out in the inning but then plunked the next batter he faced to give Brockton runners on first and second with two outs. The Rox were able to then create some confusion on the base paths on a double steal and a throwing error by the Sea Unicorns catcher to throw out the runner stealing second leaked into center field and allowed the lead runner to come home and score to tie the game.

Norwich was able to restore the lead in the top of the 4^th by capitalizing on a Brockton throwing error. The hot bat of Anthony Tirado supplied more offense for Norwich smashing a one out double into right field. Brockton looked like they had an opportunity to escape the jam unscathed after retiring the next Sea Unicorn batter on a popout to the shortstop for the second out. Chris Carson rolled a grounder to short on the following play and the Brockton shortstop missed the tag on Tirado who was running on contact and the throw across the diamond to retire Carson at first was over the head of the Rox first basemen, which allowed Tirado to come home to give Norwich a 2-1 lead.

A monster 4-run 6^th inning for Brockton broke the game open and quickly changed the complexion of the game. Norwich made their move to the bullpen after a strong performance on the mound by Andrew Rondini who worked 5 innings and allowed 3 hits while punching out 5. The only run that crossed the plate was unearned. Tiernan Powers entered the game for the Sea Unicorns and quickly ran into trouble. An infield single and a pair of walks issued loaded the bases for Brockton with one out. The Rox were able to take advantage with a double down the left field line to take a 3-2 lead. Later in the inning, a wild pitch produced the fourth run of the game for Brockton and a base hit to right with a pair of outs gave the home side a 5-2 lead.

Giovanni Conte silenced the Rox offense the rest of the way to keep Norwich within striking distance. Conte was able to record the final out in the bottom of the 6^th and worked another pair of scoreless baseball to give Norwich a chance in the late innings. Ryan Grace was able to provide some late life for Norwich with his 2^nd home run of the summer. The 2-run blast for Grace closed the Brockton lead to 1. The Sea Unicorns threatened to tie the game in the 9^th inning trailing by a run but stranded the tying runner on third base.

Norwich will return to Dodd Stadium on Tuesday night against the Vermont Lake Monsters. It will be a rematch of last season’s championship when the Lake Monsters come to town for a 2-game set. Tuesday night’s game is $2 hot dog night with first pitch scheduled for 6:30 EST.

Sea Unicorns Win in Dominating Fashion

The Norwich Sea Unicorns bounced back against their in-state rivals, the New Britain Bees with a convincing 16-4 victory. The weekend home-and-home series was favorable to the road team winning in enemy territory.

It was a rocky start for Norwich surrendering 3 early runs in the first inning. Once again it was a couple defensive miscues that led to the early offensive surge for New Britain. A one-out error began the rally for the hosts. Freddy Forgione continued his success against Norwich driving in the first 2-runs on his 3^rd double of the summer. The Bees would add on another to take a 3-0 lead after the 1^st.

The Sea Unicorns quickly responded in the second with 3 of their own to bring the game back level. Anthony Tirado ignited the offense with a one-out single to left and quickly advanced into scoring position on his 4^th stolen base of the summer. Norwich battled with a pair of outs in the inning to produce all 3 of their runs, starting with Aidan Baglino, who cracked a single into left to drive in Tirado and advance MD Conner, who was hit by a pitch earlier in the frame, to third. A wild pitch to James Marsden brought home the second run of the inning for Norwich to trim the New Britain lead to 1. Marsden came through later in his plate appearance with an RBI single into right to bring home Baglino.

Norwich took the lead in the 3^rd thanks to some help from the New Britain defense. Alex Irizarry began the inning reaching on an error committed by the Bees first basemen and later advanced into scoring position on a wild pitch. Nick Tomasetto continued his strong start to the summer with an RBI single into left field to give Norwich a 4-3 lead. The Sea Unicorns extended their lead in the fifth and once again it was Alex Irizarry who began the danger with a base hit to center. The speedy Irizarry found his way into scoring position on a passed ball and on the following pitch stole 3^rd. Tomasetto once again brough home Irizarry with a sacrifice fly to left.

The Bees were able to cut the Norwich lead to 1 with a run in the 6^th, but that was the closest they would come. Norwich exploded in the 8^th, striking for 11 runs to take a 16-4 lead. In the inning Norwich was walked 6 times and hit by Bees pitching twice. In addition to the surplus of free passes offered by New Britain pitching, Norwich also took advantage of a pair of wild pitches and an error committed by the host. Overall, in the inning Norwich sent 15 batters to the plate and didn’t record an out until the 7^th batter of the inning. The 12 run lead for Norwich allowed the Sea Unicorns to close out the game after the 8^th inning via the run rule.

Liam Carroll locked down the victory for Norwich striking out the side in the bottom of the 8^th inning to secure Norwich their 5^th victory of the season. Justin Marks earned the victory (1-0) after a rocky start working 5 innings and did not allow another run to cross the plate in his final 4 innings. Offensively, Nick Tomasetto and James Marsden had big nights, each having a multi-hit game. Tomasetto finished his night with 3 RBI’s and Marsden with 4.

The Sea Unicorns continue their road trip this afternoon with their first meeting of the season against the Brockton Rox. First pitch is scheduled for 1:30 EST.

Comeback Effort Falls Short

The Norwich Sea Unicorns comeback bid fell short against their in-state rival, New Britain Bees, falling 6-5. The loss for Norwich is their second of the season and snaps their 3-game winning streak.

There was no scoring until the top of the 3^rd inning when the visitors struck for three runs. The top of the order for New Britain did damage with one out beginning with a hit batsman who was quickly driven in on a RBI triple. Freddy Forgione cranked his 2^nd home run of the summer to extend the Bees lead to 3.

The Sea Unicorns cut the deficit to one with a pair of runs in the bottom of the 6th. Norwich began the rally with one out when Alex Irizzary drew a walk and Ryan Grace followed with a single into center to give Norwich runners on first and second. A pitching change was made by New Britain once the hosts had back-to-back base runners. Later in the inning Anthony Tirado came through in the clutch delivering a 2-run RBI double to the left field wall to bring home Irizarry and Grace. The double for Tirado was his 1^st of the summer and RBI’s 3 and 4.

New Britain immediately responded after Norwich cut the deficit to one with their second 3-run inning of the game. The 3-run 7^th inning gave the Bees their largest lead of the night making it a 6-2 game. An error by Norwich opened the door and New Britain was able to capitalize on it thanks to another 1 out triple and was later followed by a double to restore the Bees’ 3-run lead. Kaden Murphy was brought into the ballgame with one out in the 7^th to mitigate any further damage. Murphy punched out the first batter he faced to begin his outing but allowed a base hit to center to extend the New Britain lead to four.

The first outing of the summer for Murphy was a bright spot for Norwich. Murphy held the New Britain offense to one hit in 2.2 innings of relief while striking out five. Murphy’s impressive outing allowed Norwich an opportunity to battle back in the late innings.

Norwich chipped away at the four-run deficit scoring a run in each of the final three frames but ultimately came up just short. Norwich threatened in the bottom of the 9^th on a rally begun by Garrett Larsen with a one out double to center. Brennan Hyde followed with a single into right to give Norwich runners at the corners. A wild pitch to Alex Irizarry produced the fifth run of the game for Norwich, but that was the closest Norwich was able to come stranding the tying run on 3^rd.

Andrew Cutler secured the victory for New Britain earning the save (1) and Benjamin Oliveira his first victory of the summer going 5.1 innings and allowing 2 runs. Teo Spadaccini suffered the loss (0-2) allowing 3 runs over 4 innings while striking out 3. These two teams will battle once again tonight as the Bees will host Norwich at New Britain Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 EST.