VERO BEACH, Fla.- The Norwich Baseball team opened their 2024 campaign with two games to kick off their annual spring break trip.

First up was an offensive showdown with Delaware Valley. After the Aggies struck first in the top of the first with two runs, the Cadets would quickly tie the game in the bottom half of the inning. After Jack Medhurst (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) drew a one out walk, Geffen Franus (Leesburg, Va.) would double him in. After advancing to third on a wild pitch, Franus would reach home on a dropped third strike to even the score.

Norwich's offense continued to roll in the following inning, where they would post six runs. After two straight singles to start the bottom of the second, Michael Sabasteanski (Ashburn, Va.) would put Norwich ahead with an RBI double. After a Delaware Valley error, which put Norwich up by two, a wild pitch and an intentional walk, the Aggies walked two consecutive hitters with the bases loaded with another scoring on a wild pitch to put the Cadets ahead 8-2 after two innings. Two innings later, Brock Carpenter (East Berlin, Pa.) plated Franus and Jakob Hayes (Arlington, Texas) to put Norwich ahead 10-2. Hayes would finish the game three for four at the dish with an RBI and two runs scored, to go along with Carpenter going two for four with two RBI, and Franus's three runs scored.

After a bumpy first inning on the mound, freshman Carson Rath (Glens Falls, N.Y.) settled in and gave Norwich five innings of work, where he only allowed two runs. Once he exited the game, the Aggie bats woke up as they would plate three runs in the sixth, and five in the eighth to tie the contest and send it to extras where they would score the winning run in the top of the tenth.
In their second game of the day, Norwich looked to bounce back against Wilkes. After the Colonels jumped ahead in the bottom of the first, the Cadets responded with six in the top of the fourth. After consecutive base hits for Hayes and Carpenter, Hayes would score on an error tying the game. Carpenter would come home on an infield single by Tyler Callahan (Arlington, Mass.) to break the tie. After another run scored on an error, Kevin Ohlsen (Shirley, N.Y.) would drive home Callahan, before Franus cleared the bases with a two RBI triple.

On the mound, ace Matt Ingraffia (Lake Grove, N.Y.) gave Norwich five strong innings with one earned run and ten strikeouts. He left the game with the Cadets nursing a two-run lead, but Wilkes battled back and took the second game 9-6.

Up next for the Cadets on their spring break trip is a doubleheader against Lebanon Valley on March 3.