By Sam Trumbley
(New Britain, Conn.) The New Britain Bees defeated the Westfield Starfires 3-2, clinching a spot in the 2025 Future Collegiate Baseball League playoffs. The Bees improve to 27-30-1 on the season and currently hold the third best record in the FCBL.
George Slauson (Saint Anselm/Plymouth, MA) stayed hot, going 2-4 with two singles and maintaining his .500 batting average since debuting a week ago. Carlos Irizarry (Bryant/Chantilly, VA) went 2-3, and Colin Crowley (Winthrop/Southington, CT) led the team with two RBI. PJ Hughes (Richmond/Manhattan, KS) scored twice. The Bees pitching staff combined to allow only five hits, striking out 10 batters.
The Starfires struck first, scoring on a wild pitch in the top of the third. They would add on another in the sixth on an RBI double. RHP Max Jarvie (Endicott/Wilton, CT) started on the bump for the Bees. In his first start this season, he would throw four solid innings, allowing only one run on four hits, striking out six and walking no batters.
Jake Harmony (Endicott/Fairfield, CT) would enter in relief of Jarvie, allowing one hit and one run across two innings.
New Britain struggled to get the bats going against Westfield starter Connor Niemiec, recording only three hits in the first five innings. However, they would get things going in the sixth against the Starfires’ bullpen. Singles from PJ Hughes and George Slauson and a walk from Camden Righi (UConn/Wethersfield, CT) loaded the bases, allowing Colin Crowley to bring in a run with a sacrifice fly to right, cutting the lead to one.
Ryan Tatar (UConn/Pittsburgh, PA) made his season debut in relief of Harmony, pitching a clean seventh inning. Braden Young (Wheaton/Foxborough, MA) would follow suit with a scoreless eighth.
Back-to-back hit by pitches from Hughes and Righi put two on base with nobody out in the eighth, and Crowley drove in the tying run on a single to left for his second RBI of the night. That hit extended his hitting streak to seven games.Caleb Miller (Union/Rome, NY) came through right after with another single, and an error by the Starfires’ left fielder allowed the go-ahead run to score.
Connor Willett (Eastern CT State/Rockfall, CT)would pick up his first save of the season with a 1-2-3 top of the ninth, striking out two.
The Bees will close out the regular season over the next three days, traveling to Norwich on Thursday, returning home on Friday, and heading to Worcester for the regular season finale.
The Bees will celebrate their final regular-season home game with the final fireworks night of the season! Click the link below for tickets or visit the box office before the game!