Sea Unicorns Bats Go Quiet in New Britain, Playoff Matchups Set

New Britain, CT – The Norwich Sea Unicorns offensive woes against the Bees continued Friday night, falling 3-1. With last night’s loss Norwich will enter the postseason as the #4 seed and a matchup against the top seeded Worcester Bravehearts.

Norwich opened the scoring in the first against Bees starter Colin Blake to grab an early 1-0 lead. Chace Chaplin was hit by a pitch to give the Sea Unicorns a one out baserunner. Chaplin swiped second to move into scoring position and Gabriel Rivera delivered with 2 outs, flipping a base hit into center field to score Chaplin. Unfortunately, that would be all the offense Norwich would get as Bees pitching stifled the Norwich offense the rest of the way.

New Britain threatened to tie the game in the first after Norwich starter Matt Tabet battled early command issues. A walk and a hit batsman put two runners on with no outs, and an error by the shortstop nearly brought home the tying run. However, Chard recovered after bobbling the ball, throwing out Tim Henning at the plate. Moments later, a sharp line drive to second turned into an inning-ending double play as Michael Fiatarone fired to second to double off the baserunner.

The Bees offense came to life in the fifth after being limited to just one hit through the first four innings, plating a pair of runs to take the lead. Norwich reliever Charles Ennis struggled with command, issuing a leadoff walk before Carlos Irizarry crushed a one-out double. An infield single scored Julius Rosado to tie the game, and a hit-by-pitch put runners at the corners. Norwich nearly escaped without further damage, but Staubley beat out a potential inning-ending double play, allowing the go-ahead run to cross the plate.

In the 6th, New Britain tacked on an insurance marker to extend their lead to 3-1. Julius Rosado sparked the rally, hammering a one out double. A balk advanced Rosado to third and Jake Risedorf wasted no time bringing home the Rutgers commit, lining a base hit into center.

Despite a rocky first inning, Bees starter Colin Blake settled in and dominated over his final four frames to earn the win, allowing just four hits while striking out three without issuing a walk. The New Britain bullpen kept Norwich in check the rest of the way, limiting the Sea Unicorns to two hits over the final four innings. Braden Young closed the door in the ninth, striking out two in a scoreless frame to record his first save of the summer.

Win – Colin Blake (1-2)

Loss – Charles Ennis (0-2)

Save – Braden Young (S, 1)

Time – 2:14

UPCOMING

Norwich will conclude the regular season on the road tonight against the Westfield Starfires. Daniel Cantafi (1-2) will make his second start of the summer for Norwich opposite Brendan Murphy (1-5). First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. from Bullens Field.