Lowell Ends 7-Game Losing Streak With a 7-4 Win Over Norwich

On Tuesday night at LeLacheur Park, the Lowell Spinners looked to snap a seven-game losing streak as they hosted the Norwich Sea Unicorns. Norwich entered the matchup holding a two-game lead over Nashua for the final playoff spot, backed by a pitching staff leading the league with 8.06 strikeouts per nine innings.

The Spinners sent Hayden Schimoler to the mound for his 11th appearance of the summer, entering the night with a 7.84 ERA across 31 innings. Norwich countered with Hudson Castillo, who was making just his second appearance of the season after posting a 5.40 ERA over 1.2 innings pitched.

Lowell drew first blood in the bottom of the second inning, plating two runs courtesy of a balk by Castillo that brought home Cam Biller, followed by a wild pitch that allowed Zander Bratspis to score to make it 2-0.

Castillo took the loss after loading the bases in the fourth before exiting. Reliever Kenny Penny took over in a high-pressure jam for the Sea Unicorns and did a commendable job limiting the damage, allowing only a single run on a fielder’s choice groundout by Bratspis that scored Nic Lembo. That extended Lowell’s lead to 3-0 through four innings.

Meanwhile, Schimoler was dominant on the mound, surrendering just one hit through five scoreless innings. The Spinners gave their starter more breathing room in the bottom of the fifth when Marco Zipolo (3-for-4, 1 R, 1 RBI) singled and Jack Stead (2-for-4, 1 R, 1 RBI) followed with a double into the right-center field gap. Stead then came around to score on an RBI single to center by Jack Quigley, making it a 5-0 game.

Norwich finally got to Schimoler in the sixth frame when the first three batters reached via two hits and a walk. Jackson Powers ripped a single to center field to score David Penn, cutting the deficit to 5-1.

Lowell quickly answered in the bottom half of the sixth. Brett Gallo crushed an RBI double that one-hopped the wall in left-center to score Spencer Warfield. Zipolo followed with his third hit of the night, driving a single to center field to plate Gallo and push the lead to 7-1.

Schimoler (1-4) exited after six strong innings, allowing just three hits, one earned run, and one walk while striking out four. He was replaced on the mound by Francis Comeau.

In the eighth inning, Norwich mounted a rally, pushing across three runs to chase Comeau from the game. Michael Flatarone lined a two-run double down the right-field line, and JP Kuczik followed with an RBI hit to score Flatarone, cutting Lowell’s lead to 7-4.

Patrick Frelik came on in relief in the eighth and promptly struck out the only batter he faced, Jacob Snyder, to squash the threat. Frelik then stayed on to pitch a scoreless ninth, securing his first save as a Spinner and snapping Lowell’s seven-game losing streak with a 7-4 victory.

Weather permitting, the Spinners will look to keep the momentum going when they host Nashua on Wednesday night.