 | Annika Morris |
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WESTFIELD, Mass. (August 10, 2024) — The top-seeded and visiting Norwich Sea Unicorns moved within one win of their second straight Futures League championship after earning a 5-3 decision over the Westfield Starfires in Saturday night’s first game of a best-of-three title series at Bullens Field.
The Sea Unicorns are now riding a three-game postseason win streak, with two of those victories coming on the road dating back to the semifinal round series against the Vermont Lake Monsters. Norwich is looking to become the first Futures League franchise to win consecutive titles since the Worcester Bravehearts in 2018 and 2019.
Norwich made most of just six total hits, turning around a 1-0 deficit on left fielder AJ Soldra’s (Seton Hall) bases-clearing, three-run triple in the fourth inning before breaking a 3-3 tie with hits in both the seventh and eighth innings. First baseman Chris Carson (Stony Brook) was the lone Sea Unicorn with multiple hits, going 2-for-4 with a run scored.
After being set aside in order by Norwich starter Teo Spadaccini (Yale) through two innings, the Starfires took a 1-0 lead as first baseman Aidan Redahan (Central Connecticut) hit a leadoff infield single, advanced on second baseman Julio Solier’s (Boston College) bunt single and a fly ball, while scoring on a wild pitch.
That score was short-lived, though, as Soldra crushed a triple into the deep right-field corner that cleared the bases with two outs an inning later. All of Norwich’s damage in the inning came after Westfield starter Kyle Salvati (Franklin Pierce) recorded the second out, getting a base hit by Carson, a walk and a hit batter to set the table.
Westfield left two runners on base in both the third and fourth innings, but cashed back in to tie the game in the fifth. After third baseman Jackson Haker (Central Connecticut) singled to lead off the frame, right fielder Danny Hussey (Central Connecticut) cleared the fence in right-center for a two-run homer.
Norwich’s late innings changed the score for good. Center fielder Kaiden Dossa’s (Yale) one-out double got the seventh started, and after a wild pitch, third baseman Nick Tomasetto (Rutgers) lined a go-ahead base hit directly off the first base bag to make it a 4-3 game.
An inning later, second baseman Nick Sturino (Fairfield) knocked a two-out RBI single to add insurance to the Sea Unicorn lead. Shortstop Alex Irizarry (Quinnipiac) opened the inning with a single and later crossed the plate.
Spadaccini worked 2.2 innings before the relief duo of Gavin Hawkes (Rider) and David Rodriguez (St. John’s) kept the game close. Rodriguez did the bulk of the work as the bridge to closer Jimmy Mulvaney (Fairfield), striking out four over 2.2 innings of one-hit, one-run ball. Rodriguez struck out a pair in both of his complete frames.
Mulvaney threw a 1-2-3 eighth before needing to work through a two-on, one-out jam to close the game. A leadoff walk to designated hitter Trey Cruz (Texas A&M-Corpus Christi) and Redahan’s third base hit gave Westfield life, but a pop fly and a strikeout of two pinch hitters gave Norwich the win.
The series resumes with a 1 p.m. first pitch on Sunday at Dodd Stadium. If Westfield wins, the third and deciding game would take place at 6 p.m.
POSTSEASON RESULTS
CHAMPIONSHIP: No. 1 Norwich Sea Unicorns vs. No. 2 Westfield Starfires
Game 1: Saturday, August 10 - Norwich 5, at Westfield 3
Sunday, August 11 - 1 p.m. - Dodd Stadium/Norwich, Conn.
Sunday, August 11 - 6 p.m. (if necessary) - Dodd Stadium/Norwich, Conn.
—Norwich leads series, 1-0—
SEMIFINAL #1: No. 1 Norwich Sea Unicorns (37-21) vs. No. 4 Vermont Lake Monsters (29-26)
Game 1: Monday, August 5 - Vermont 5, at Norwich 4
Game 2: Tuesday, August 6 - Norwich 7, at Vermont 2
Game 3: Thursday, August 8 - at Norwich 10, Vermont 3
—Norwich wins series, 2-1—
SEMIFINAL #2: No. 2 Westfield Starfires (34-22) vs. No. 3 New Britain Bees (30-25)
Monday, August 5 - at Westfield 8, New Britain 5
Tuesday, August 6 - Westfield 4, at New Britain 0
—Westfield wins series, 2-0—
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