Newtown High School’s softball team won three games this past week, defeating host Brookfield 5-3 on April 23, then earning a pair of 12-0, six-inning, run-rule triumphs. The Nighthawks blanked visiting Joel Barlow of Redding on April 25, in a makeup game which was halted by rain three days earlier. Newtown repeated the feat with a dozen runs in a win over Bunnell of Stratford, in another home contest, on April 27.

In the victory over Brookfield, a team that had beaten Newtown the week before, the Nighthawks got solid defense and timely hitting. This game counted in the South-West Conference standings; the first tilt only impacts the state results.

Lauren Wilcox pitched and allowed four hits and six walks, and struck out four batters. Mikayla Kuligowski was 2-for-3 with a run batted in and a run scored; Sara Kennedy went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored; Katie Laaksonen was 2-for-4 with an RBI; and Emily Woznick drove in a run with a double.

Against Barlow, Newtown scored five times in the first inning only to have those runs washed of the board by rain on April 22. It took a little time but the Hawks had no problems reclaiming those runs — and more — when the game was made up with a clean slate a few days later. Pitcher Gillian Galante picked up her 30th career win by tossing a one-hitter.

The teams remained scoreless until the fourth inning, and then the flood gates opened for the Nighthawks who promptly plated four in the fourth, five more in the fifth, and three in the sixth to end the game an inning early by virtue of the 12-run lead rule.

Emily Bell went 2-for-4 with a double, three RBI, and a trio of runs scored; Woznick and Kamdynn Moroney both had two hits and a pair of runs scored; Megan Goyda contributed three hits and three runs scored; Kenney had two hits and two run batted in; Kuligowski added two hits; and Tess Mubarek contributed her first varsity hit.

Against Bunnell, Wilcox racked up 11 strikeouts and allowed only four hits. Laaksonen was 4-for-4, including a triple, and drove in two runs; Kennedy went 3-for-5 with two RBI, and a run scored; and Goyda went 2-for-4 with an RBI and run scored.

The Nighthawks improved to 5-2 overall, heading into a Wednesday, April 29 game at Weston, set for 4:15 pm. The Hawks return home to face Kolbe Cathedral of Bridgeport on Friday, May 1, for a 4:15 first pitch. They’ll host FCIAC team St Joseph of Trumbull at 4 pm the next day.