2026 FCBL Championship: Teams Split First Two Games and Now Play a Winner-Take-All

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The top-seeded Vermont Lake Monsters and second-seeded New Britain Bees split the opening two contests of the 2026 Futures Collegiate Baseball League (FCBL) Championship Series, setting up a winner-take-all Game 3 at Centennial Field.

In a showcase of extreme contrasts, the opening weekend featured an offensive blowout in Burlington followed immediately by a masterclass pitching duel in New Britain.

Game 1: Bees Offense Explodes in Burlington (New Britain 11, Vermont 0)

New Britain set the tone for the series early on Friday night, making a statement on the road with an 11-0 shutout victory over the Lake Monsters.

The Attack: The Bees collected 15 hits, constantly putting pressure on Vermont’s pitching staff from the opening inning.
Complete Suppression: New Britain’s pitching staff kept Vermont’s lineup entirely quiet, allowing just three total hits and erasing any momentum for the home crowd at Centennial Field.

Game 2: Burrows Masters Game 2 Pitching Duel (Vermont 1, New Britain 0)

Faced with elimination on Saturday evening at New Britain Stadium, Vermont turned to starter Chase Burrows (Babson), who delivered an eight-inning masterpiece to secure a 1-0 road victory.

Burrows’ Gem: Burrows threw 66 of his 89 pitches for strikes across eight shutout innings. He allowed just four hits and one walk while keeping the Bees’ bats completely silenced.
The Breakthrough: After going four straight innings without a baserunner against New Britain’s Trey LaMay and Max Jarvie, Vermont broke the deadlock in the top of the seventh inning.
The Game-Winner: Travis Stroh initiated the two-out rally with a single to right-center, advancing to second on a Patrick Shrake hit. Leadoff hitter Bryan Richman (Cal Poly Pomona) then lined the game-winning RBI single over shortstop to plate Stroh.
The Door Shut: Ethan Freed (Quinnipiac) worked the ninth inning to earn the save and preserve the 1-0 victory in a rapid 2:01 of game time.