Newtown High School Recaps – Baseball Team Opens 2004 With Two Wins

By Kim J. Harmon

With rain affecting games virtually this entire week, and with the April vacation looming next week, the start to the 2004 season has been fitful at best.

But with the Newtown High School baseball team opening with two wins (remember – it took eight tries before the Nighthawks could win a game last year) and with the softball team trouncing Pomperaug in its opener, there was enough time last week (and even early this week) for some highlights.

And here they are –

Baseball –

A new field, new uniforms, new season – a new outlook.

The Newtown High School baseball team began the 2003 season in rather ignominious fashion under first-year coach Carl Strait, losing its first seven games. It was hard to blame anyone for that since the transition was difficult and made even more so by the fact that the Nighthawks had to spend all that time on the road while their home field was being reconstructed.

But this is 2004.

The ‘Hawks are in their own nest, now, and celebrated by swamping Abbott Tech (18-0) last Wednesday and nipping Pomperaug (6-5) last Thursday. Although the ‘Hawks dropping decisions to St. Joseph’s of Trumbull (6-4) and Wilton (7-3), a 2-2 start is still a far better start than 0-7.

The team is young, but that may indeed be one of its strengths. Freshman Ryan McGrath has ripped the cover off the baseball in his first four games, going 8-for-13 (.615). In the win over Pomperaug, it was his double in the seventh that plated the game-winning run. And another freshman, Mike Tibbetts, had gone 4-for-15 (.267) in the leadoff spot for the ‘Hawks.

In the win over Abbott Tech, it was the pitching as much as it was the offense that was the story of the game. While the ‘Hawks scored 10 runs in the first two innings along and ended up banging out 17 hits, pitcher Matt Myslewski (1-1) took a perfect game into the fifth inning, where he surrendered a leadoff single to Chris Evans. That – and a single in the seventh – were the only hits Myslewski would allow while striking out 12 batters.

McGrath was 4-for-4 with a double and four RBI while Pat McCarthy was 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles and four runs scored. Myslewski, Steve Marks and Pete Oggeri banged out two hits apiece with Oggeri driving in three runs.

In the win over Pomperaug, the ‘Hawks held a 4-2 lead heading into the top of the seventh inning when some youthful mistakes allowed the Panthers to score three runs and take a 5-4 lead. In the bottom of the frame, however, back-to-back-to-back doubles by McCarthy, Nick Magoulas and McGrath helped the ‘Hawks rally back for the win.

That was one of the moments that opened coach Strait’s eyes. With Magoulas perched on second with the go-ahead run, coach Strait took McGrath aside and simply told him to put the ball in player but McGrath looked the coach in the eyes and told him, no, he was going to hit a double.

And the ‘Hawks went on for their second win in a row.

The streak – a mini one that it was – ended last Saturday with a 6-4 loss to St. Joseph’s of Trumbull. Eleven of the first 12 Newtown batters who stepped to the plate where whiffed (seven of them looking) by Shawn Polke of St. Joe’s.

The ‘Hawks did find a way to hit the baseball and in the bottom of the fifth scored three runs to tie the game 3-3. McCarthy led off with a triple and was driven home on an infield grounder by Magoulas. After McGrath was fanned for the second out, Marks singled and Myslewski followed with a two-run homer.

In the top of the sixth, though, St. Joe’s scored three more runs with the help of a single, a walk and an error. In the bottom of the frame, McGrath was walked and then driven home with a double by Marks.

But that was as close as the ‘Hawks would get.

And on Monday, the ‘Hawks fell to Wilton, 7-3, to drop to 2-2 on the season. The Warriors banged out 11 hits, scoring once in the second, three times in the third, once in the fifth and twice more in the seventh. Tibbetts, McGrath and Brian Shimko had two hits apiece. Shimko and Steve Vichiola both had runs batted in.

The ‘Hawks were slated to host Weston on Wednesday for their first conference game. They will be in Brookfield on Friday for a non-league game, and will return home on Monday to face Masuk. Then they will travel to Southbury on Tuesday to take on Pomperaug.

The linescores –

 

                                             R      H     E

Abbott Tech                        0       2     3

Newtown                           17     16     0

WP: Myslewski (1-0); LP: Ruiz (0-1)

Save: none

                                             R      H     E

Pomperaug                         5       8     1

Newtown                             6       8     1

WP: Dolan (1-0); LP: Mahony (0-1)

Save: none

                                             R      H     E

St. Joe’s                               6       3     2

Newtown                             4       8     3

WP: Polke (1-0); LP: McCarthy (0-1)

Save: Morrissey

                                             R      H     E

Wilton                                  7     11     0

Newtown                             3       8     0

WP: Judge (1-0); LP: Myslewski (1-1)

Save: none

Softball –

It’s that old Achilles heel flaring up again.

After crushing Pomperaug, 13-1, to open the 2004 season last Wednesday the Newtown High School softball team traveled to Monroe – weird odd things have been known to happen – and suffered a 1-0 loss.

“But for the first time in a long time,” said coach Jay Edwards, “nothing screwy happened.”

The only run of the game came in the sixth without the benefit of a base hit – in fact, Newtown pitcher Lisa Morgan only allowed two of those all day while striking out seven batters. But in the sixth, Morgan walked Kelly Larsen, who took second on a wild pitch, took third on a ground out, and scored on another wild pitch.

In the top of the seventh, the ‘Hawks went down 1-2-3 and, thus, suffered another tough loss at the hands of an archrival.

Coach Edwards will look back to the first inning of that game, remembering how Megan LaFlamme and Christina Wolf hit back-to-back singles with one out. But with LaFlamme getting thrown out at third and Ashley Ferris getting fanned, the threat went by the boards.

“We needed one more hit,” said coach Edwards.

The ‘Hawks collected five hits on the afternoon, two of them in the first inning, one in the second (a single by Erin Murdoch), one in the fourth (a double by Wolf), and the other in the fifth (a single by Jenna Van Waalwijk).

In the impressive win over Pomperaug last week on the new field behind Newtown High School, the ‘Hawks banged out 16 hits and offensively took charge in the first inning. A two-out single by Wolf started a chain reaction that included a double by Ferris, a double by Murdoch, and a single by Morgan.

Three runs crossed the plate and the ‘Hawks were off and running. They scored 10 runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth innings after moving quietly through the second and third. Tri-captain Stacey Gordon, at the bottom of the order, went 3-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored while Trina Ramsdell, Wolf, Ferris, Murdoch, and Van Waalwijk collected two hits apiece. LaFlamme was 1-for-5, but drove in three runs.

Morgan fired her first no-hitter of the season, walking none and striking out 12. She lost her bid for a perfect game in the top of the fifth

Barring inclement weather, the girls were set to host Weston on Wednesday and then travel to Weston on Saturday morning for a non-league game. The girls will return home on Monday for a rematch with Masuk before traveling to Southbury on Wednesday for a rematch with Pomperaug.

The linescores –

                                  R     H     E

Pomperaug              1      0     3

Newtown               13    16     1

WP: Morgan (1-0); LP: Hackett (0-1)

                                  R     H     E

Newtown                 0      5     1

Masuk                      1      2     2

WP: Larsen (2-0); LP: Morgan (1-1)

Girls Lacrosse –

A painfully easy first game was met with a painfully difficult second game and, thus, the Newtown High School girls’ lacrosse team opened the 2004 season at 1-1.

The Lady Nighthawks – still in the midst of a rebuilding phase, but blessed with some strong talent – pounded Notre Dame (15-2) last Thursday in Fairfield and then suffered a tough loss to Cheshire (12-8) on Saturday morning in Newtown.

The win over Notre Dame was never in doubt, not after the ‘Hawks scored inside the first 30 seconds of the game. From that moment on, players like Meg Regnery, Karli Beitel, Moira Collier, and Kelly Collier pounded the cage with shot after shot while goaltender Jenny Urfer made a couple of strong saves on the other end of the field.

It was an easy opening to the 2004 season, but much too soon things got a lot tougher.

The ‘Hawks squared off with Cheshire on Saturday and with memories of a 20-goal pounding suffered at the hands of the Lady Rams last years, the ‘Hawks hung tough before falling 12-8 and dropping to 1-1 on the year.

Regnery scored three goals while Beitel and Collier popped in two goals apiece. Lindsay Coyle added a goal while Jackie Darigo assisted on one. Urfer and Kerrie Canavan made six saves apiece in the cage.

A game with rival Masuk was postponed on Tuesday due to the inclement weather, but the girls were set to host Lauralton Hall on Thursday on the back fields at Newtown High School. A trip to Mercy of Middletown will follow next Tuesday and the girls will return home next Thursday for a rematch with Notre Dame.

Cheshire                          12

Newtown                           8

GOALS: Newtown – Meg Regnery 3, Karli Beitel 2, Kelly Collier 2, Lindsay Coyle 1; Cheshire – Dara Heritage 4, Jen Colantonio 3, Kelly Bruheau 2, Dana Githmark 2, Taylor Nesbit. ASSISTS: Newtown – Jackie Darigo; Cheshire – Colantonio 2, Grace Martha 2, Bruheau, Krista Malayter, Heritage. SAVES: Newtown – Jenny Urfer 6, Kerrie Canavan 6; Cheshire – Christine Devaldor 23.

Boys Lacrosse –

With guys like Casey Kirch and Tom Ryan on the attack, the Newtown High School boys’ lacrosse team had become accustomed to punishing opposing defenses and scorching the back of the net for one goal after another.

That offensive era is gone – for now. The ‘Hawks are in a transitional period.

And the transition has been a little difficult, as the ‘Hawks dropped an 8-1 decision to Branford to open the 2004 season and followed up with a 10-7 loss to East Lyme on Monday afternoon on the back fields at Newtown High School.

In the loss to Branford, Kyle Kirch scored the lone Newtown goal in the first period off an assist from John Oliver. Meanwhile, the Hornets were powered by a five-goal effort from Ben Johnston. The Hornets uncorked 48 shots on the cage and Newtown goaltender Chris Body made 14 saves.

The offense was a little stronger in a match with East Lyme on Monday and the ‘Hawks hung tough through three periods, but the Vikings – one of the top teams in Division II – scored four goals in the final frame to earn the win.

Kirch and Oliver scored two goals apiece to lead Newtown while Dan Gindraux, Tyler Law and Grant Speer added solo goals. Oliver also had a pair of assists while Speer had one. The ‘Hawks outshot the Vikings 35-27.

The ‘Hawks were set to meet Notre Dame in Fairfield on Thursday and will travel to Amity on Tuesday before returning home on Thursday, April 22, to host Greenwich.

Newtown                           1

Branford                            8

GOALS: Newtown – Kyle Kirch; Branford – Ben Johnston 5, Tom McGwire, Joe O’Keefe, Paul Raccio. ASSISTS: Newtown – John Oliver; Branford – Zach Dendas, Vin Bevalacqua, Johnston. SAVES: Newtown – Chris Body 14; Branford – Brad Burkhardt 10.

East Lyme                      10

Newtown                           7

GOALS: Newtown – Kyle Kirch 2, John Oliver 2, Dan Gindraux, Grant Speer, Tyler Law; East Lyme – Chris Elia 5, Briggs Thompson 2, Kevin Raymond 2, Derek Marks. ASSISTS: Newtown – Oliver 2, Speer; East Lyme – Elia. SAVES: Newtown – Chris Body 14; East Lyme – Tate Morris 16.

Girls Track –

Domination – that may be a pretty good word to describe the Newtown High School girls’ track team’s season-opening quad meet at Jonathan Law in Milford on Monday but, in the end, it is probably inadequate.

The Lady Nighthawks smashed Notre Dame (134-15), Foran (112-37) and Jonathan Law (104-46) to open the 2004 season at 3-0.

Sophomore Alex Konneker, who played softball last spring, shined in her first meet by overwhelming the competition in the 100-, 200- and 400-meter dashes. She scored a team-high 48.75 points for the afternoon and not only qualified for the South-West Conference championships, but also the CIAC state championships.

Caitlin Weber and Kate Stickles had strong performances, each scoring 33.75 points. Leah Herity (28.75), Carolyn Brennan (27.75), Jacky Curran (23), Dana Taylor (23), Quincey Blanchard (21.75) and Caitlin Cosgrove (21) helped power the ‘Hawks.

Stickles (1,600), Brennan (3,200), Curran (high jump), Tara Gaston (high jump), Blanchard (high jump) have all qualified for the SWC and CIAC meets. Ciara Simek (triple jump) and Herity (pole vault) have already qualified for the SWCs.

Meanwhile, Michelle Brennan ran a strong 6:16 in the 1,600 meters and earned the Nighthawks’ Rookie of the Week award.

The girls will take a break for the April vacation and will return to the track on Monday, April 26, to host Bunnell, Pomperaug and Brookfield.

Boys Tennis –

Who wants to start off the season against the best team in the conference?

No one, that’s who. But the Newtown High School boys’ tennis team – sans its top two singles players from 2003 – had to do just that last week and suffered the consequences with a 6-1 loss to Joel Barlow at Dickinson Park.

It was not an easy win for the Falcons, however, as the score might suggest.

Matt McFadden defeated Steve Klufas 7-5, 6-3 at No. 1 singles while Jason Garbarino – who shifted frequently between singles and doubles last year – earned a first-set win over Joe Muscolino at No. 2 singles before eventually falling 2-6, 6-0, 6-2. And at No. 3 singles, Drew Adamek – playing singles for the first time – suffered a two-set loss, but took Luke Sproviero to a tie break before falling 6-2, 7-6 (7-3).

“I think we made a good showing,” said head coach Marty Margulies, “considering that our opponent was the defending state and conference champion; in fact, we did better than I had thought we would.  We were in all of the singles matches until the end and our doubles teams, though largely inexperienced, performed respectably. There is work to be done, but I think the results bode well for our prospects over the rest of the season.”

Newtown freshman Chris Meier was stopped 6-3, 6-4 at No. 4 singles by Austen Afridi. At No. 1 doubles, Max Margulies and Bruno Moura were beaten 6-2, 6-1 by Scott Tanner and Russell Frost while, at No. 2 doubles, newcomer Tyler Hull and sophomore Jim Wilkins were stopped 6-2, 6-1 by Dan Burger and Chris Summerlin.

In the final match at No. 3 doubles, Ken Brown and Dan Klufas of Barlow defeated freshmen Wes Boisvert and Ben Wicki 6-2, 6-0.

The ‘Hawks recovered enough to blank Foran, 4-0, on Monday afternoon in a rain-shortened match.

The match started at 3:45 under cloudy skies at Dickinson Park, but with the rain starting to fall pretty hard later in the afternoon and the match essentially already decided, the coaches decided to suspend action.

McFadden stymied Noah Czarny 6-1, 6-0 at No. 1 singles while Adamek stopped Brian Krantz 6-1, 6-1 at No. 2 singles and Chris Meier defeated Roman Loonis 6-0, 6-3 at No. 3 singles. In the decisive doubles match, which beat the rain, Margulies and Moura defeated Ben Page-Fort and Tom Maguire 6-3, 7-5.

Garbarino at No. 2 singles, Hull and Wilkins at No. 2 doubles, and Boisvert and Peter Kim at No. 3 singles all played to draws with their opponents.

“McFadden played his best tennis of the young season,” said coach Margulies, “controlling and moving the ball carefully to set up winners. Garbarino displayed skill and patience against an infuriatingly consistent opponent who made very few mistakes. Adamek and Meier were impressive in their first victories as singles players. Margulies and Moura kept their composure in staving off a late rally to clinch the day for Newtown. I’m trying to get all of the players to understand that consistency and patience – not raw power – are what win at this level, and the point seems to be getting across.”

Weather permitting, the ‘Hawks were set to host Bunnell on Wednesday (after press time) and will visit New Fairfield on Friday and Notre Dame on Monday. The ‘Hawks will return home Wednesday and Thursday for matches against Weston and Stratford.

Girls Tennis –

The Newtown High School girls’ tennis team was no doubt anxious to get back out on the court and recover from a 6-1 season-opening loss to Joel Barlow last week … but inclement weather pretty much prevented that.

So, as it stands, the Lady Nighthawks are 0-1.

“Even though we lost 6-1,” said head coach Jean Kunkel, “I saw some positive features of our team.”

Tara Ryan opened up her career at No. 1 singles by squaring off against Lauren Holzberg, ranked No. 3 in New England in her age group. And although Ryan showed some great resolve in challenging her opponent, Holzberg had all the answers and came up with the 6-0, 6-0 win.

Michelle Serock, recovering from a turned ankle, was stopped by Shaena McPadden 6-0, 6-0 at No. 2 singles.

“The match-up was better than the score with some nice rallies and points,” said coach Kunkel, “but Shaena was too strong for Michelle and Michelle had diminished mobility. I was pleased that both our top girls never gave up and kept a great competitive attitude throughout the match.”

At No. 3 singles, transfer Lauren Nemeth displayed strong groundstrokes, net play and court sense while falling 7-5, 7-5 to Meredith Early. And at No. 4 singles, Ashley Gabor was involved in an arduous battle with Jill Mackay and was edged 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (13-11) in the closest decision of the afternoon.

Co-captains Kim Allen and Brittany Meier teamed up for the first time at No. 1 doubles and suffered a 6-2, 6-4 loss to Briana Jackson and Anni DeLucia. At No. 2 doubles – where the ‘Hawks won their only point of the afternoon – Jill Tanner and Emily Fields earned a 1-6, 6-4, 6-4 win over Lauren Reynolds and Brittany Shea.

“This is a very athletic, offensive-minded team with excellent quickness, net play, and smart play,” said coach Kunkel. “They didn’t let a loss in the first set defeat them and they were smart enough to use the wind to their advantage. They experimented until they found a game plan that worked and then stuck to that plan, frustrating the more experienced opposition.”

Sarah and Kristene Salbu were competitive at No. 3 doubles, but suffered a 6-4, 6-2 loss to Sara Russo and Chelsea Edwards.

The Lady Falcons boast a beautiful new tennis facility, with eight courts, and that gave some of the younger players a chance to get some match experience. Coach Kunkel was pleased with what she saw in Christina Elsenhans, Stephanie Corleto, Jenna Moser, Katie Datin and Nikia McFadden.

“I am encouraged that we have a strong team from top to bottom,” said coach Kunkel.

Pending weather, the ‘Hawks were set to travel to Bunnell on Wednesday before hosting New Fairfield on Friday and Notre Dame on Monday at Treadwell Town Park. The girls will hit the road on Wednesday, April 28, for a visit with Weston (at Doubleday Park in Westport) and on Thursday, April 29, for a visit with Stratford.