NEW BRITAIN — The unofficial start of summer in New Britain came and went on Thursday with the home opener for the New Britain Bees.
They took care of business against the Pittsfield Suns, winning 4-0 after a 5-3 opening day win at the Westfield Starfires the day prior.
New Britain Stadium was filled for the 10:35 a.m. first pitch with members of the New Britain Golden Hurricanes baseball and softball teams in attendance along with several field trips from local schools. The kids were certainly excited for an abridged school day and made sure each member of the Bees knew how happy they were for the home opener.
“Number twenty-six! Number fifty-one! Number twenty-four!” the students shouted as they were just about spilling into the Bees first base dugout.
They tried their best to get the attention of anyone in a white jersey on Thursday in hopes of getting an autograph, photo, baseball, bat, or anything the players would be willing to part with. One even tried to get his hands on an energy drink a player was holding in the middle innings.
Several players obliged and interacted with the young fans during and after the game as they immersed themselves into their first New Britain Stadium experience.
The attendance of 4,068 provided many of the first-time Bees their first taste of a summer in New Britain and it didn’t disappoint.
“The atmosphere was amazing,” said third baseman Bryce Molinaro. “I’ve never played in front of a crowd like this. It’s electric. It gets the nerves going a little bit, but you always like nerves like that.”
The St. John’s sophomore drove in one of the Bees four runs on Thursday.
Skyline sophomore Billy Mrowka got the start behind the plate for New Britain in the home opener and said the energy of the crowd was tangible at the start of the game.
“When I was catching in the first inning, I was a little nervous, I’m not going to lie,” Mrowka said with a smile. “I’ve never been in front of a crowd like this. The kids love it. It was a lot of fun.”
This is Mrowka’s first season in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League and he’s enjoyed the experience to this point. He collected three hits and two walks through his first two games.
“We’ve had these crazy crowds, so it’s been a little nerve-wracking, but it’s a lot of fun,” Mrowka said of his first Futures League impression. “We’re playing good ball, and I like the team a lot. The coaches are great, and we’re having a great time. I’m really excited about how it’s started.”
The Bees have welcomed back a handful of players from their playoff team a summer ago including Brian Hart, Gavin Greger and CJ Brito-Trinidad. As a Futures veteran, Brito-Trinidad was more at ease before facing the New Britain faithful this time around. He noted the positives of being familiar with his surroundings in the home opener.
“We have a couple returners which is nice to have some familiar faces, so it’s a little bit easier to get comfortable,” Brito-Trinidad began. “Obviously, I was here last summer, so you get familiar with the dimensions and how the field plays. You feel a lot of that when you feel at home here in New Britain.”
Despite the full house on Thursday, excited to get a glimpse of what the summer may look like, Molinaro said he didn’t feel any added pressure. He put his spikes on the way he always has and played the game the only way he knows how.
“We just stick to our fundamentals and play the game like little kids,” Molinaro said. “That’s been my mindset through all my years of baseball.”
The Bees will be back at home Saturday and Sunday hosting the Norwich Sea Unicorns and Worcester Bravehearts before hosting a two-game set with the Vermont Lake Monsters on Tuesday and Wednesday.