Despite dropping their regular season finale Sunday afternoon to the Road Warriors 6-2, the Norwich Sea Unicorns finished the regular season posting a Futures League best record of 37-21. Norwich received some help from the New Britain Bees defeating Westfield 9-6 yesterday to help Norwich secure the top seed heading into the postseason.

The Road Warriors offense began quickly taking an early 3-0 lead in the 1^st. The visitors began the ballgame recording back-to-back hits, and benefited from an error committed by the Norwich right fielder, allowing baserunners at 2^nd and 3^rd with no outs. Nick Pappas delivered for the Road Warriors, cranking a one out triple to the gap in left center field to drive home a pair of runs. A single by Liam Foley continued the offensive surge bringing home Pappas from 3^rd to extend the Road Warriors lead to 3.

Norwich tallied a run in the 3^rd to cut the deficit to 2, but that would be the closest Norwich would come. Jack Sweeney began the frame with a base hit to left field and later Bryson Plante reached via a one out walk. A fielder’s choice ground out by Anthony Tirado provided Norwich runners at the corners with 2 outs. The Sea Unicorns brought home their first run of the afternoon thanks to a passed ball that trickled away from Tommy Goonan behind the plate to allow Sweeney to score.

In the 4^th, the Road Warriors answered back with their second 3 run frame of the contest to take control of the ballgame, holding a 6-1 lead. The Road Warriors took full advantage of a pair of errors committed by the Norwich shortstop. Marcus Ollivierre provided the big blow hammering a 2-run double to the wall in left field.

The Sea Unicorns responded with a run in the bottom of the frame, but that would be all the offense for Norwich. Nick Sturino brought home the final run of the afternoon for the Sea Unicorns, wiring a one out triple to the wall in left field.

The ballgame was cut short after 5 innings due to weather. Since the game completed 5 innings it is ruled as an official contest.

PLAYOFF PREVEW

The Norwich Sea Unicorns will begin their title defense as they welcome the 4^th seeded Vermont Lake Monsters to the Rose City for a best of 3 series. This is a rematch of last season’s championship when Norwich won a winner take all final to secure the first championship in Sea Unicorns history.

Norwich this season is 7-3 against the Vermont Lake Monsters and own a record of 5-0 at home against the Lake Monsters.

The Norwich offense has been led by Seton Hall commit AJ Soldra, owning a batting average of .336 over 36 games this summer. Soldra leads the team in OPS (.964), SLG % (.523), doubles (8), triples (8), runs scored (29), and is tied for a team-high in stolen bases with 20.

On the mound, Norwich has been led by UCONN product Hector Alejandro, owning a record of 5-0 with a 2.16 ERA. Alejandro tossed the first no-hitter in Sea Unicorns history July 20^th against the Worcester Bravehearts and was just the 2^nd in league history to accomplish the feat. The Waterbury, Connecticut native has held opponents to 3 hits and 1 earned run over his last 15 innings of work while striking out 14.

The push to the mountain top begins tonight at 6:30 p.m. EST from historic Dodd Stadium. Secure your tickets now and help cheer on the Sea Unicorns as they begin their title defense.

Playoff Teams Set, Seeding Still Up In The Air

The Norwich Sea Unicorns split their Saturday doubleheader against the Westfield Starfires needing a home run derby to secure a 7-6 victory in the opener and fell in the finale 5-2. Since Westfield earned a point in the opener and won the finale outright, 1^st place is still up for grabs heading into the final day of the regular season.

GAME 1

The Starfires pounced immediately, striking for a pair of runs in the 1^st after escaping Norwich’s threat to start the night. Westfield immediately applied pressure having their first 2 batters reach base safely. Back-to-back one out base hits by Taylor Gaspar and Jayden Novak provided Westfield with an early 2-0 lead. Norwich starter Kaden Murphy battled back to retire the next 2 Starfires he faced to escape the frame without any further damage.

Norwich answered back with a pair of runs in the 2^nd to draw the game even at 2 apiece. Connor Lane ignited the offense for Norwich, rattling a leadoff double down the line in left field. The Sea Unicorns loaded the bases with one out when Aydan McNelly drew a walk. Westfield starter Clark Churchill continued his command trouble issuing a wild pitch to Anthony Tirado, helping produce the first run of the night for Norwich. A ground ball to first by Tirado brought home Chris Carson to even the scoring.

The offense continued to roll in the 3^rd for Norwich, as the Sea Unicorns jumped out to a 5-2 lead. Nick Tomasetto began the danger, ripping a one out single to center field. Shaun Callahan provided the Sea Unicorns with their first lead of the night crushing a double to drive home Tomasetto. Alex Irizarry continued the offensive surge with a two out base hit to extend the lead. A ground rule double by McNelly ended the night for Churchill surrendering 5 runs over 2.2 innings.

Westfield punched back with a pair of runs in the home 3^rd to cut the Norwich lead to 1. Kaden Murphy dealt with some command trouble early in the frame, plunking the leadoff batter and issued a one out walk to give Westfield a pair of baserunners. Aidan Redahan ended the night for Murphy, smashing an RBI double to left field, and the lead for Norwich was 2. Manager Kevin Murphy elected to bring in Gavin Hawkes to escape the threat with one away and a pair of runners in scoring position. A ground ball to first brought home the Starfires runner from 3rd, but helped secure an important 2^nd out. Hawkes preserved the lead for Norwich retiring the next batter he faced on a fly out to left field.

Jayden Novak tied the game at 5 in the 5^th clobbering a leadoff home run. There was no more scoring the rest of the way sending the contest into extra innings. Both sides brought home a run in their turn at the plate, forcing a homerun derby to decide the winner.

Alex Irizarry won the game for Norwich hitting the only home run in the derby. Although Norwich won the game, Westfield also received a point because the game was decided by a homerun derby.

GAME 2

Norwich began the scoring in the finale of last night’s twin bill, striking for a pair of runs in the 2^nd. Westfield starter, Alex Grant walked the bases loaded to begin the Norwich 2^nd. A wild pitch to Owen Turner gave Norwich the lead. Anthony Tirado extended the lead with one out, on a comebacker to the mound that Grant was unable to handle.

Sea Unicorns starter Justin Marks held Westfield off the board until the 4^th, including working around a bases loaded jam in the 2^nd. A 2-run blast by Cameron Papetti was the only blemish in the outing for Marks, who had 8 strikeouts over 4 innings of work.

The second home run of the ballgame for Westfield was all the offense the host would need to take down Norwich in game 2. Jackson Haker’s 4^th longball of the summer in the 6^th provided Westfield a 5-2 lead. Reliever Tyler Rice had been perfect for Norwich until that point, holding his opponents scoreless through his first 6 innings of relief this summer.

UPCOMING

The Norwich Sea Unicorns will close out their regular season this afternoon at home against the Road Warriors. It is also A Reason to Ride Bike Night at Dodd Stadium with first pitch scheduled for 4 p.m. EST. A victory for Norwich would clinch the Sea Unicorns the top seed heading into the Futures League playoffs.

The Norwich Sea Unicorns have qualified for the 2024 Futures League Playoffs and will attempt to defend their 2023 Championship. The Futures League playoffs begin on Monday, August 5th. While seeding is still to be determined, the Sea Unicorns will play as either the #1 or #2 seed. This will give Norwich the home field advantage in the semifinal round. Game 1 of the semifinals will take place at Dodd Stadium at 6:30pm Monday.

Season Ticket holders for the 2024 season can pick up their playoff tickets at the Will Call window. All other playoff tickets are now on sale by visiting the Dodd Stadium ticket office during normal business hours and on game days, by calling the ticket office at 860-887-7962, ext.1 during normal business hours and on game days, or by visiting the Sea Unicorns ticket website https://www.ticketreturn.com/prod2new//team.asp?SponsorID=17162

Further updates will be provided here as they become available. Once the seeding is known, more potential playoff tickets will be listed beyond Game 1 of the semifinals.

UPDATE:

The Norwich Sea Unicorns have earned the #1 seed in the 2024 Futures League playoffs and will take on the #4 seed Vermont Lake Monsters in the semifinals. The other semifinal will feature the #2 seed Westfield Starfires against the #3 seed New Britain Bees. The semifinals begin in Norwich and Westfield on Monday, August 5th. Game 2 of each series will switch to the home of the lower seeds (Vermont and New Britain) on Tuesday, August 6th.

If a game 3 is necessary, the higher seeds would host on Wednesday, August 7th. In the rare chance that both semifinal series are sweeps, the finals would begin on Wednesday, August 7th instead.

Please keep checking the Sea Unicorns website and social media pages for updates!

The Norwich Sea Unicorns took down the Vermont Lake Monsters 10-4 in front of a record setting attendance of over 4,500. Norwich’s victory is their third in a row and improves the Sea Unicorns to a Futures League best 17 games over .500, holding a record a 36-19.

Norwich treated their home fans immediately, striking for 6 runs in the 1st against Vermont starter Eddie Kaftan. Command trouble proved costly for Kaftan who issued 4 walks, plunked a batter, and a passed ball that leaked behind Jake Gaudreau helped Norwich build an early lead. Connor Lane broke the game open with 2 outs and the bases loaded crushing a mammoth grand slam to clear the deck in left field. Vermont starter, Eddie Kaftan lasted just 0.2 innings surrendering 6 runs to the Norwich offense.

The Sea Unicorns continued their offensive rampage with a run in the 2nd. Trey Porter ignited the offense, smashing 2 out ground rule double over the right field wall. Anthony Tirado followed with an infield base hit to bring home Porter.

Vermont answered with a run in the 4th to cut the Norwich lead to 6. Vincent Borghese tossed 3 innings of scoreless baseball before the Sea Unicorns elected to bring in Teo Spadaccini. The Yale product allowed a leadoff base hit to Zander Teator who later found his way into scoring position after an errant throw by the Norwich catcher trying to back pick Teator at first. A two out single by Dante Pozzi into center field produced the first run of the night for the visitors.

The host responded with 3 runs of their own in the bottom of the frame to take a 10-1 lead. Norwich loaded the bases thanks to a pair of walks and a base hit. Alex Irizarry plated a pair wiring a single into right field. The Tolland, Connecticut native finished his night with a pair of knocks and 3 RBIs. Overall, 8 of 9 starters for Norwich recorded a hit and 4 finished with multi-hit performances.

The Lake Monsters closed the margin to 6 in the 8th but that would be the closest they would come. Vermont did their damage with a pair of outs, capitalizing on an error committed by the Norwich shortstop earlier in the frame.

Ryan O’Connell earned the victory for Norwich striking out 5 over 2 innings of relief. The Quinnipiac transfer has now fired 4.2 innings of scoreless baseball while punching out 10. In total, Norwich pitching struck out a season high 15 in the winning effort last night.

Win- Ryan O’Connell (2-0)

Loss- Eddie Kaftan (2-2)

Time- 3:04

UPCOMING

The Norwich Sea Unicorns are back in action tonight for a scheduled doubleheader with the Westfield Starfires. First pitch for the opener of the doubleheader is slated to start at 5:30 p.m. EST from Bullens Field. Norwich has an opportunity to lock up the top seed in the Futures League standings with 2 victories tonight.

On Sunday Norwich will conclude the regular season with a meeting against the Road Warriors. A Reason to Ride Bike Night has also been rescheduled to this Sunday with first pitch scheduled for 4 p.m. EST from Dodd Stadium.

The Norwich Sea Unicorns and the New Britain Bees split the Wednesday night doubleheader at Dodd Stadium. Both contests went down to the wire as it was the New Britain Bees who stung Norwich in dramatic fashion in the opener, winning 5-3, and the Sea Unicorns who returned the favor in the finale, walking off the Bees 4-3.

Game 1

The Norwich Sea Unicorns went to work immediately in the opener, striking for a pair of runs in the 1^st to take an early 2-0 lead. Christian Stratis kept the home 1^st alive with an infield single. Antonio Ducatelli followed by cracking an RBI triple to center field to drive home the first run of the night for Norwich. Next, a passed ball from New Britain starter Dylan Scudder that leaked to the backstop allowed Ducatelli and Norwich to extend their lead.

In the 3rd, New Britain sliced the Norwich lead in half, striking for a run against starter Tim Lewis. The visitors loaded the bases with one out thanks to a pair of walks and a single. Daniel Perez delivered for the Bees with an RBI base hit to center field. Perez’s base knock ended the night for Lewis, who departed with the bases loaded and one out in the 3^rd. Manager Kevin Murphy elected to bring in reliever Mike Poncini to escape the jam without any further damage. The Quinnipiac product worked his magic, inducing a pop up to second base and fly out to left field to preserve the lead for Norwich.

The Sea Unicorns added a run in the 4^th to restore their 2-run advantage over New Britain. Norwich loaded the bases with one out thanks to a walk drawn by Alex Irizarry and back-to-back singles from Anthony Tirado and Owen Turner. A sacrifice fly by Chris Carson to center field produced the 3^rd run of the ballgame for Norwich.

The ballgame remained 3-1 until the top of the 7^th when New Britain erupted for 4 runs against closer Jimmy Mulvaney. Entering last night’s outing, the Fairfield product tossed 11 consecutive scoreless innings. Unfortunately, New Britain had other ideas, stunning Norwich with a 4-run 7^th on 4 hits, a walk, and a wild pitch.

Game 2

Similar to game 1, it was the Sea Unicorns who drew first blood taking an early lead. Trey Porter helped ignite the offense in the home 3^rd, smashing a lead off double to right field. A passed ball allowed Porter to take 3^rd and later a wild pitch brought home the 1^st run of the ballgame for Norwich.

New Britain responded with a pair of runs against Norwich starter Luke Cardman in the 4^th to take the lead. Daniel Perez began the frame with a leadoff single and Jack Arcamone followed by hammering a game-tying triple to the wall in right field. TJ Gormley gave the visitors the lead with a base hit to right field to drive home Arcamone from 3^rd. After surrendering a pair of runs, Cardman was able to recover, retiring the next 3 batters he faced in order to prevent any further damage.

Norwich battled back to draw the game even in the 7^th. Michael Oates ignited some life into the Norwich offense, cracking his first double of the summer with one out. Nick Sturino followed with a clutch RBI base hit to left field to bring home Chris Carson, the pinch runner at second base. Unfortunately, Sturino was cut down at second base trying to extend his single into extra bases. After a base hit by Kaiden Dossa with a pair of outs, New Britain elected to bring in reliever Esteban Rivera III to record the final out of the 7^th.

Extra innings were necessary in the Rose City last night, with the ballgame even at 2. New Britain took the lead in the top of the 8^th, bringing home the automatic runner at 2^nd with a sacrifice fly. Reliever Gavin Hawkes slammed the door shut, not allowing any more offense from the Bees.

Norwich rallied in the bottom of the 8^th to walk off the Bees in dramatic fashion. A sacrifice bunt by Trey Porter moved Nick Tomasetto to 3^rd after beginning the inning as the automatic runner at second base. Connor Lane delivered with a game tying RBI base hit to score Tomasetto from 3^rd. Anthony Tirado drew a two out walk and Norwich had one of the top hitters in AJ Soldra at the plate with runners at first and second with two away. New Britain decided to intentionally walk Soldra to load the bases and face Chris Carson instead. The Stony Brook product made New Britain pay with a walk off single to right field to win the ballgame for Norwich in dramatic fashion 4-3.

UPCOMING

The Norwich Sea Unicorns will play an exhibition game tonight at 6:30 against the Wallingford Silver Storm of the Connecticut Collegiate Baseball League. This exhibition will be scheduled for 7 innings. As a reminder, we have moved our Replica Ring Giveaway to Friday night, however, we are still planning our K Cancer night for Thursday.

Fast Start Propels Norwich to 3^rd Straight Victory

The Norwich Sea Unicorns struck for 7 runs in the first 2 innings to fuel their way past the New Britain Bees 11-5 on Tuesday night. It is the 3^rd consecutive victory for Norwich, helping the Sea Unicorns improve to 33-18 and hold a 3-point lead over the 2^nd place Westfield Starfires.

Norwich went to work immediately, plating 3 runs in the 1^st. A pair of walks issued by New Britain starter TJ Winn to begin the night provided Norwich with a pair of early baserunners. Winn retired the next batter he faced on a fly ball to right field, but Dossa tagged from 2^nd to give the Sea Unicorns runners on the corners. Next, AJ Soldra swiped second base and a poor throw from the Bees catcher allowed Dossa to score from 3rd. Antonio Ducatelli extended the lead for Norwich with an RBI base hit into left field to score Soldra. Later in the frame, an error committed by the New Britain shortstop produced the 3^rd run of the inning for the Sea Unicorns.

In the second, Norwich continued their offensive surge increasing their lead to 7. Despite retiring the leadoff batter of the frame, Kaiden Dossa drew a one out walk. The Yale product advanced his way into scoring position with his 2^nd stolen base of the night. The dynamic duo of Dossa and Soldra worked their magic once again as Soldra clobbered his 7^th triple of the summer to drive home Dossa. A wild pitch to Nick Tomasetto allowed Soldra to score and the lead for Norwich was 5. Antonio Ducatelli ignited the Norwich offense with a pair of outs, punching a base hit into center field. Trey Porter followed with an infield base hit to keep the stanza alive for Anthony Tirado who crushed a 2 out double to give Norwich a 7-0 lead.

New Britain scratched across their first run of the night in the 3^rd to cut the Norwich lead to 6. The Bees began the home 3^rd with back-to-back singles from Scott Gell and Donte Lewis. Norwich starter Michael Belcher received some help from his shortstop Anthony Tirado who was able to turn a double play on the following play. The host battled with a pair of outs to bring home their first run of the night on an infield single by Justin Hackett. The Sea Unicorns elected to make a pitching change for Giovanni Conte with 2 outs and traffic on the bases. Conte retired the first batter he faced to escape the 3^rd with minimized damage.

The Sea Unicorns responded with 3 runs in the 5^th, taking advantage of command trouble from New Britain reliever Alexander Slotter. The Bryant University transfer issued 3 walks, hit a batter, and fired a pair of wild pitches leading to all the offense for Norwich.

New Britain answered with 3 runs of their own in the bottom of the inning, once again trimming the Norwich lead to 6. Scott Gell began the home 5^th launching his first home run of the summer. Conte settled down after surrendering the leadoff home run by retiring the next 2 batters he faced in order. Unfortunately, a pair of 2 out walks ended the night for the UCONN reliever as Norwich elected to bring in Callen Powers. Freddy Forgione took advantage of the run scoring opportunity blasting a 2-run double to right field.

After a turbulent entrance, Callen Powers was dominant in relief, allowing just 2 hits in 4.1 innings of work to earn the victory. The UMass product struck out a season-high 8 to help Norwich win their third in a row.

The Sea Unicorns are back in action tonight for a double-header against the New Britain Bees. First pitch is scheduled for 5 p.m. EST tonight from Dodd Stadium.

Win- Callen Powers (2-1)

Loss- TJ Winn (3-3)

Time- 3:05

The Norwich Sea Unicorns erupted offensively, striking for 9 unanswered runs to secure a Sunday Funday victory over the Vermont Lake Monsters. Norwich’s victory improves the Sea Unicorns to a Futures League best 32-18 through 50 contests.

It was a rocky outing for Norwich starter Justin Marks who surrendered a pair of early runs in the 1^st and survived just 2 innings. Vermont went to work immediately, recording both of their runs before Norwich had located an out. Sam Cavossa jumpstarted the Vermont offense ringing an RBI triple to drive home the 1^st run of the afternoon for the visitors. A wild pitch allowed the Lake Monsters to quickly extend their lead. After surrendering a pair of early runs Marks was able to escape the frame without any further damage.

In the second, Vermont threatened once again after Marks issued a pair of free passes to begin the stanza. A sacrifice bunt advanced both baserunners to give Vermont runners at 2^nd and 3^rd with one away. The Sea Unicorns shifted their corner infielders in and immediately paid off as a ground ball to 1^st prevented a potential 3^rd run from crossing the plate and provided Norwich with an important 2^nd out. The Eastern Connecticut State product induced another groundball to mitigate the Lake Monsters threat unscathed.

The Sea Unicorns responded with a pair of runs in the 4^th to draw the game even at 2 apiece. Antonio Ducatelli and Anthony Tirado began the threat collecting back-to-back one out base hits. A walk to Alex Irizarry loaded the bases for Norwich. Vermont starter, Hayden Mutz battled back striking out the next batter he faced to land a 2^nd out. Bo Yaworski continued his strong surge at the plate, delivering a clutch game tying single with 2 strikes.

Norwich took the lead in the 5^th thanks to some crafty work on the bases by AJ Soldra. The Orange, Connecticut native began the frame working a lead off walk. Soldra quickly moved into scoring position swiping second base. A wild pitch moved Soldra to 3^rd with Nick Tomasetto still batting. The Rutgers product brought home Soldra with a ground out to the Vermont second baseman.

The offense for Norwich continued to come in waves, adding a pair of runs in each of the following 3 innings to build a 7-run lead. The host took advantage of command issues by the Vermont bullpen, who issued 7 walks over 4 innings of relief.

Once again, the Sea Unicorns bullpen shined, firing 7 innings of shutout baseball. The bullpen for Norwich held the Vermont offense to just 4 hits and issued only 2 walks. Kaden Murphy earned his 1^st victory of the summer working 3 innings in relief after entering the ballgame in the 3^rd. In total, the bullpen has now worked 11 consecutive innings of scoreless baseball.

Norwich is back in action on the road Tuesday night for a meeting with the New Britain Bees. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. EST from New Britain Stadium.

Win- Kaden Murphy (1-0)

Loss- Charlie Kutz (0-2)

Time- 2:58