Newtown High School’s baseball team came from behind twice in as many games to post its first two wins of the campaign. The Nighthawks clawed back from a two-run deficit with six runs in the final three innings to defeat host Bethel 7-3 on April 11, then overcame a 4-0 deficit to edge visiting New Milford 5-4 on April 16.

Against Bethel, the top of the lineup did the damage as Dhilan Amin, Kieran Garrity, Danny Leyva, and Yarema Stasyshyn combined for five hits, five walks, and scored six of Newtown’s runs. Hayden Conklin had a hit and Ryan Schmidt walked and scored a run.

Stasyshyn Conklin, and Garrity doubled. Amin, Newtown’s starting pitcher, had two hits, stole a pair of bases, and scored two runs. On the mound he allowed five hits, four walks, and three runs — two earned — while compiling seven strikeouts. Leyva relieved and pitched an inning and a third, allowing only a walk and not hits.

Behind the plate catcher Conklin threw out a would-be base stealer to help thwart a rally and right fielder Garrity made a clutch diving catch with two base runners aboard to keep things tied 3-3 in the late innings. Newtown fell behind 2-0 in the first inning and trailed 3-1 after four frames before getting the bats going. The Hawks tied the game with a couple of runs in the fifth and scored four in the seventh inning. A Bethel error, five wild pitches, and pair of unearned runs helped Newtown’s cause. Garrity, Stasyshyn, and Evan Nikolis all drove in runs.

“Good fielding, good hitting — a solid game all around. We were down 2-0 early so I loved how we battled. It jump-starts us. It gives us more confidence,” Newtown Coach Ian Thoesen said of the Hawks earning their first win.

The Nighthawks followed up this victory with another battle-back W against New Milford. NHS fell behind 4-0 in the second inning but put up four runs of its own in the bottom of the third then scored the decisive run in the fourth.

All of New Milford’s runs were unearned as a result of a trio of Nighthawk errors and aided by ten walks. Pitchers Jamie Piccuillo, Wes Keayes, and Nikolis combined to scatter six hits while collectively striking out five.

Amin had two hits, an RBI, and run scored; Leyva had a hit, RBI, and run scored; Stasyshyn had a hit and drove in a run; and Keayes had a hit, walk, and two runs scored. Schmidt singled to drive in Keayes with the eventual winning run. Schmidt also scored a run and Jack Carta had a hit.

Newtown opened the season with a trio of nonconference games and fell to Fairfield Ludlowe, Norwalk, and defending state champion Fairfield Warde, despite homers off the bats of Lucian Place and Leyva against Warde.

“We’ve had a tough schedule. We’ve played hard,” said Thoesen, adding that it is nice to see the players’ work pay off in the form of wins.

Sports Editor Andy Hutchison can be reached at andyh@thebee.com.