By Connor Wilson

NEW BRITAIN, CT - Playing in the final regular season home game at New Britain Stadium of the season, the New Britain Bees defeated their in-state rival Norwich Sea Unicorns 1-0 to inch closer to clinching a spot in the Future’s League playoffs next week.

Matt Lauria (Western New England/East Haddam, CT) put together his best outing of the season in the victory. The right hander went six scoreless innings allowing just two hits while striking out four.

The story of the game coming in for the Bees was the success of Christian Scanlon (Merrimack/West Haven, CT) against the Sea Unicorns this year. Coming into Friday, Scanlon was hitting .625 with three home runs and 14 RBIs in five games against Norwich.

Scanlon’s white hot stretch against the Sea Unicorns continued, as he blasted a solo home run over the right field wall in the second inning for his fifth homer of the season.

One run was all New Britain pitching needed. Lauria locked in and didn’t allow his first hit until a bunt single in the top of the sixth and finished his longest outing of the season.

The Bees only had four hits all game in a slow offensive night. Scanlon’s home run, two Gavin Greger (Bryant/Bristol, CT) singles, and a Brady Short (CCSU/Hurley, NY) single were all New Britain needed to pick up their 34th win of the year.

After Lauria, Ryan Oshinskie (Brown/Fairfield, CT) went the rest of the way and picked up a three inning save. Oshinskie got himself into trouble in all three innings he pitched, but escaped thanks to five strikeouts and some stellar defensive plays.

Oshinskie got the first two outs of the ninth before allowing runners on the corners. Billy Minett (St. Thomas Aquinas/Staten Island, NY) blocked a pitch in the dirt and caught the Norwich runner on third too far off the bag and picked him off to secure the win.

With the victory, the Bees now have a three game lead over the Westfield Starfires with Westfield having three games left. Any Bees win or Westfield loss the rest of the season means New Britain will be going to the playoffs.

The Bees are back in action this weekend for two more road games as they travel to Pittsfield on Saturday and Brockton on Sunday. If playoffs are clinched this weekend, there is a chance that the Bees will host a playoff game next week on either Tuesday or Wednesday.