Photo courtesy of Norwich City Schools

NORWICH – After starting the season with six straight losses, Norwich has found their groove with big wins in their previous two games played. The biggest of the two came Thursday afternoon against a tough Oneonta Yellowjackets squad, where the Purple Tornado won 1-0 with a walk-off single by JT Vinal in the bottom of the eighth inning.

“This is the best two-game stretch Norwich baseball has played in a while and [Thursday’s] win was huge for us,” said Tornado head coach Rich Turnbull.

It was a pitcher’s duel throughout the game as Oneonta’s ace Teddy McGraw got the start on the hill for the visiting team. Norwich had their hard-throwing youngster Jordan Jacquette on the mound.

In the top of the eighth, with Jacquette still toeing the rubber, the Yellowjackets started the inning off with a single and a walk, bringing McGraw to the plate with runners at first and second.

The two teams battled in their first meeting but Oneonta came away with a walk-off win in the bottom of the seventh inning on their own field with a McGraw single.

Thinking for their next move, Turnbull decided loaded the bases by intentionally walking the Yellowjackets’ stud with just one out in the frame.

The gutsy move paid off as Norwich’s Jacquette fired in three straight strikes to the next batter, striking him out looking at the pitch and getting the final hitter of the inning to fly out to right field.