The Sea Unicorns led for almost the entire game, but a late-stage explosion propelled the Bees to a 9-5 victory.
After it took almost nine innings for Norwich to score yesterday versus Worcester, designated hitter Conor Cooke and second baseman Johnny Knox got the party started in the second. The next frame started with an even bigger bang. First baseman Andrew Bianco took one deep over the left field wall for his second homer of the year. The New Haven star finished 2-4 with a walk and a stolen base.
Two batters later, right fielder Brennan Hyde flew around the bases to notch an RBI triple. The Florida native was then brought home by returning Sea Unicorn Jackson Ferrigno to make it 5-1.New Britain didn’t go away though. Thanks to two wild pitches and a passed ball, the Bees came within a run. Things stayed that way until the top of the eighth.
Norwich got two quick outs to start the inning, but then New Britain tallied seven consecutive hits. The frame saw 10 players come to bat and five runs come across to give the Bees a 9-5 lead.
The Sea Unicorns couldn’t recover and amassed just one base knock in the final six innings. This sluggishness helped New Britain complete the comeback to win its second game of the year over Norwich.
Left hander Kolby Pascarelli started for the Sea Unicorns and went three innings before he was relieved by righty Payton Sutman. The latter had a shaky start, but ended the day strong with five strikeouts. Subsequently, Western New England’s Robert Zawacki gave up the pair of hits that sparked the Bees’ resurgence and received the loss.
The first two batters in Norwich’s lineup, Andrew Bianco and Johnny Knox, were the only ones to have multi-hit performances. As a matter of fact, the duo accounted for over half of the team’s knocks.
With the defeat, the Sea Unicorns have dropped three in a row and fall to 3-6. Norwich aims to snap its skid when Pittsfield comes to town. First pitch is set for 6:30.