You never know what to expect in the Futures Collegiate League playoffs. Just ask the Worcester Bravehearts.

The Bravehearts, the top team in the FCBL after the regular season with a record 45 wins and .738 win percentage, were stunned at Fitton Field in Game 1 of their semifinal series with the defending champion but fourth seeded Norwich Sea Unicorns, who finished the regular season 28-33. Meanwhile, No. 2 Vermont cruised past No. 3 New Britan in Burlington’s Centennial Field.

The semis continue tonight in Norwich and New Britain, and both the Sea Unicorns and Lake Monsters can close things out to reach the Finals.

Here’s a look:

NORWICH 8, WORCESTER 4

The Sea Unicorns blew their scoreless game open with a five-run fourth on six hits, one of them a triple by Bryce Detwiler, who led the 14-hit attack going 4 for 5 with three RBIs, including a two-run homer in the seventh to make it 8-1.

Jackson Marshall’s RBI single sparked a three-run rally for Worcester in the eighth, but it was too little, too late. Starter Matt Wootton got the win for the Sea Unicorns, allowing just one run on eight hits over 6.1 innings, with no walks and two strikeouts. Evan Scully took the loss for Worcester.

VERMONT 8, NEW BRITAIN 0

Vermont, already up 2-0, broke things open with a four-run fifth. The Lake Monsters outhit NB 14-5. In that fifth, Bryan Richman had an RBI triple, Sam Cavossa an RBI single, and Leandro Guevara put a bow on it with a two-run homer for a 6-0 lead.

Meanwhile, how about this: Vermont’s Casey Gouge, who will be a senior at Catawba College, tossed a complete nine-inning shutout, allowing five hits, while striking out five with no walks. A nine-inning effort is basically unheard of in the Futures League.

VERMONT