NEW BRITAIN, C.T. -- The Bees fell to the Westfield Starfires tonight, 3-1 in a game where the Bees led for most of the night.  The Bees led 1-0 up until the bottom of the seventh inning when the Starfires scored three runs and didn’t look back from there.

The Bees were able to score first in the top of the second inning when Mike Caruso hit a sacrifice fly to drive home Tony Socci and give New Britain a 1-0 lead over Westfield.  Neither team would be able to really get the bats going as defense and pitching was the biggest storyline of tonight’s matchup.

The Starfires would finally show some life in the bottom of the seventh inning when Ramon Jimenez hit a two run home run, his first of the season, to give Westfield their first lead of the game.  They would add onto their lead that inning when Danny Crossen hit a double allowing Eric Callahan to score all the way from first base and give the Starfires a 3-1 lead.  The Bees were able to get a runner on base in both the eighth and ninth inning, but were unable to do any damage losing their sixth game in a row.

Drew Mead (Marymount University) made the start for the Bees tonight and pitched another  seven inning outing.  Mead did pick up the loss due to the three runs he gave up in the seventh inning, but only allowed five hits the entire game.  Kyle Menaker (University at Albany) also pitched in the eighth inning giving up only one hit and striking out two batters.

The Starfires started Nick Dombkowski (University of Hartford) who pitched 5.2 innings giving up two hits and one run while also walking four batters and striking out eight.  Pat Gallagher (UConn) received the win for his 1.1 innings pitched, and Reggie Crawford (UConn) recorded his second save of the season after playing first base the entire game.

The Bees drop to 3-11 on the season, and the Starfires improve to .500 at 7-7.  New Britain returns home Wednesday for a matchup with the Brockton Rox.  First pitch set for 6:35 p.m. at New Britain Stadium. Click Here For Tickets. 

About the New Britain Bees

The New Britain Bees are members of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League and play their home games at New Britain Stadium. For information on tickets packages, group outings and sponsorships call 860-826-BEES (2337) or visit NBBees.com.

About the Futures Collegiate Baseball League (FCBL)

The FCBL is made up of seven teams from various parts of New England, each of which plays 28 home games and 28 away games. Each franchise is made up of elite collegiate athletes competing in a minor league style format.  Each franchise provides high quality, affordable entertainment, in a casual, family-friendly atmosphere. At least 50% of the players on each team must be from New England or attend college in New England. For further information, visit www.thefuturesleague.com.