Tabet Sets Tone as Sea unicorns Drop Starfires in Westfield

Westfield, MA – The Norwich Sea Unicorns woke up and seized the day with a 9-2 victory over the Westfield Starfires earlier this morning.

Norwich had action on the base paths early, disrupting the flow of Westfield’s defensive performance. Brandon O’Neill singled in the first and proceeded to steal second. After advancing to third on a ground out, O’Neill would come home on a passed ball.

In the second, a Reece McCarthy single and HBP to Joe Carucci would put two on with two outs in the inning. A Luke Maltacea RBI single to left would drive in the Sea Unicorns’ second run of the game. Norwich attempted a double steal with runners on the corners, with Maltacea safe at second and a wild throw home from Aiden Barclay to score Carucci and put the Sea Unicorns up 3-0 early.

The Sea Unicorns continued their offensive attack in the third, with a leadoff single from Caden Williamson and HBP to CJ Nolan to put the first two runners on base in the frame. Westfield’s starter Will Dionne continued to struggle, balking to advance both runners into scoring position followed by a fielding error by Logan Charbaneau to score Williamson and put Norwich up 4-0. Dionne’s day would only get worse, as Jackson Powers smacked a three-run homer to right center, giving the Sea Unicorns a sizable 7-0 lead.

Norwich starting pitcher Matt Tabet found success on the mound once again after pitching four scoreless frames against the New Britain Bees on opening day. Tabet struck out five and retired the first seven in order before allowing his first baserunner in third with a walk to Jack O’Neil.

In the fourth, Jamison Howland attempted to steal second after walking, but was called out. After arguing the call, Howland would be ejected by the second base umpire. Tabet would continue to no-hit the Starfires through the fifth, with the only baserunner in the inning allowed by a fielding error by Carter Grande.

The Starfires would relieve Dionne in the sixth, bringing in Sullivan Quirk to pitch and the Sea Unicorns jumped all over him. McCarthy would reach first to leadoff the inning on another error by Charbaneau, followed by a Carucci single to put runners on the corners. Quirk attempted to pick off Carucci at first but ended up throwing the ball away, allowing him to advance to second and McCarthy to come around and score to put Norwich up 8-0. A sac fly from Williamson would score Carucci from third to increase the lead to 9-0.

Tabet would be relieved before the start of the sixth, ending his day with the five no-hit innings and a lot to be proud about as his stellar start to the season continues. Tyler Fahey would allow Westfield’s first hit of the game that same inning, with Cole Silvia notching a single into left.

Norwich had a quiet seventh inning despite a stolen base by Grande. Elijah Wells faced some trouble in the eighth, as a single by Silvia and HBP to Nic Frink put two runners on early. An RBI double from Trent Jenks would score Westfield’s first run of the game. Wells would make a crucial mistake on a wild pitch, allowing Frink to score and allow the Starfires to inch closer slowly to Norwich, making it 9-2.

Jackson Pray shut the door in the ninth, getting the Starfires out in order to clinch the win for the Sea Unicorns.

The Sea Unicorns are now 2-3 on the season as they will face the Starfires once again tomorrow morning. Norwich will look to sweep this short series in the Bay State. First pitch is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. ET.

Win – Matt Tabet (1-0)

Loss – Will Dionne (0-1)

Time – 2:19

written by Mark Benway

UPCOMING PROMOTIONS

Friday, June 5 vs New Britain Bees @ 6:30pm (gates open at 5:30pm)

First Responder Night

The first Friday night game of the season will be one you won’t want to miss! All first responders can purchase a unique ticket for $8 at the ticket office that includes a voucher for a hot dog, bag of chips, and bottle of water. What a deal for the people who deserve it most!

Presented by: Hartford Healthcare

Postgame Fireworks

Stay around following the conclusion of the game for an amazing firework display!

Presented by: Liberty Bank

Saturday, June 6 vs Nashua Silver Knights @ 6:30pm (gates open at 5:30pm)

Bark In The Park

Every man’s best friend is welcome to watch America’s national pastime! We will be opening part of the 3rd base/left field side seating sections for those fans that would like to bring their dogs with them for some exciting Sea Unicorn action.