Beavers Walk It Off in Sudden Victory, Defeat Unicorns 9-8
August 16th, 2026
UTICA, Mich. – The Birmingham Bloomfield Beavers (21-16) came out on top in a back-and-forth battle Sunday afternoon at UWM Field, defeating the Utica Unicorns (21-17) 9-8 in sudden victory. The two teams combined for 21 hits and five home runs in a game.
Birmingham jumped out to an early advantage, putting four runs on the board in the second inning behind Matt Piotrowski’s three-run home run. Amari Bartee added a solo shot in the third, giving the Beavers a 5-0 lead.
The Unicorns wouldn’t go away. Ryan Enos started the comeback with a solo home run in the fourth, his sixth of the season. Utica then plated three runs in the fifth and another in the sixth to tie the game at five. Enos finished the afternoon 2-for-4 with a home run, RBI, walk and stolen base.
Birmingham regained the lead with a run in the seventh, but Utica answered in a big way in the eighth. The Unicorns scored three times, highlighted by Zayd Brannigan‘s two-run home run, his seventh of the season, to take an 8-6 advantage. Brannigan finished with two runs scored and two RBIs, while Alex Harrell drove in three runs for Utica.
Once again, the Beavers had an answer. Chase Rodriguez delivered one of the biggest swings of the afternoon in the bottom of the eighth, launching a two-run home run to tie the game at eight. Rodriguez finished with two runs scored and two RBIs, while Piotrowski led Birmingham with three hits and three RBIs.
Neither team broke through in the ninth, sending the game to sudden victory, where the Beavers choose to hit and the Unicorns took the field.
Jack Hoeymans earned the win after recording the final two outs for Birmingham, while John Whiteside was charged with the loss for Utica.
The Beavers finished with 12 hits and three home runs, while the Unicorns collected nine hits and two homers in an action-packed Sunday afternoon at UWM Field.