Sea Unicorns Sting Bees In New Britain
New Britain, CT – After being rained out in Worcester on Thursday, the Norwich Sea Unicorns hit the field Friday night and secured an 8-4 victory over the New Britain Bees.
Norwich did what they’ve done best all season long and struck fast. An error allowed TJ Baer to reach base before advancing to second on a wild pitch. Taylor Kaufman would drive Baer in on an RBI single, followed by a Dylan Cimini walk and a double steal to put two in scoring position with two outs. They would not waste this early opportunity, as Kaufman would come home to score on a wild pitch to put the Sea Unicorns up 2-0.
Norwich starter Janvier Diaz continued his impressive start to the season, pitching a solid five innings and only allowing one run on two hits.
The game would remain quiet until the fifth inning, where the Sea Unicorns had Kenny Noe and Paul Calandrelli on the corners with two outs in the inning. Still only having a 2-0 lead, Norwich needed some run support and got exactly what they were looking for. Four plays in a row would put runs on the board for the Sea Unicorns, beginning with a Baer RBI single making it 3-0. An error on the next play would allow Michael Fiatarone to reach base and score another run, followed by a Kaufman RBI single. A wild pitch would score Fiatarone, and the Sea Unicorns would find themselves up 6-0 to end the frame.
However, New Britain finally got to Diaz in their home half of the fifth. A Garrett McGovern single and Rafael Rodriguez Rosa walk would put two runners on and nobody out. A Nico Amecangelo groundout would advance both into scoring position. That would be followed by a Brady Paul groundout that would put the Bees on the board for the first time today.
The Sea Unicorns punched back in the sixth, as Paul Calandrelli got on base with a walk after two outs in the inning. After stealing second and third base, a throwing error from the catcher would score Calandrelli and put Norwich up 7-1.
With Joe Pitts now in the game for Norwich, the Bees finally decided to wake up the bats. Runners would be on first and third with only one out in the inning before Paul smacked an RBI single down the line in right. Kacin Robinson would follow that up with an RBI single of his own, inching the Bees closer to coming back in the game with being only down 7-3.
However, the New Britain pitching staff just couldn’t keep the Sea Unicorns quiet. A Dom Scalia single would leadoff the eighth before David Pengel entered the game as a pinch runner. Calandrelli would get on base with a single before being out at second on a Reece McCarthy fielder’s choice, putting runners on the corners once again. Noe proceeded to smack an RBI single to right, driving Pengel in and putting Norwich up 8-3.
The Bees needed some late inning magic if they wanted to get back into this game. They would be able to load the bases in the eighth, as a Ben Kuja walk, McGovern single, and Rosa HBP loaded them up with one out. However, Shaun Flannery once again had ice in his veins and got the next two outs without allowing a single run.
Flannery would enter the game once again in the ninth, looking to silence the Bees. Robinson began the inning with a HBP before stealing second. A George Slauson groundout would move Robinson to third before a Tim Hennig groundout would score him and make the game 8-4. Flannery would strike out Grant Werdesheim to end the game and give Norwich another victory over their Nutmeg State rivals.
The Sea Unicorns are now 9-10 on the campaign. Norwich will continue their road trip on Saturday against the Worcester Bravehearts, with first pitch scheduled for 6:30 p.m. ET. Update to the schedule for the rainout in Worcester on Thursday. That game will be made up as part of a doubleheader on Tuesday, June 23. Game 1 will begin at 3pm and game 2 remains scheduled for 6:30pm. Both games will be played as 7 inning games.
Win – Janvier Diaz (2-0)
Loss – Thomas Harding (0-1)
Time – 2:39
written by Mark Benway
UPCOMING PROMOTIONS
Monday, June 22nd vs Worcester Bravehearts @ 6:30pm (gates open at 5:30)
Kids Eat Free!
The return of the Kids Eat Free promotion at Dodd Stadium! All kids 12 & under will receive a voucher for a hot dog, bag of chips and bottle of water.
Presented by BTW Plumbing, Heating & Cooling
Monday, June 29th vs Nashua Silver Knights @ 6:30pm (gates open at 5:30)
Kids Eat Free!
Back-to-back weeks of free meal Mondays! All kids 12 & under will receive a voucher for a hot dog, bag of chips and bottle of water.
Presented by BTW Plumbing, Heating & Cooling
