Winners of eight straight games, during which it outscored opponents on average 10-1, Newtown High School's softball team, on May 5, faced the team its winning streak started against back on April 18: Pomperaug of Southbury.

Granted, the visiting Panthers - unbeaten in conference play like the Nighthawks - might have been the team best suited to knock off the Hawks, but it was Newtown beating itself to put an end to its winning ways.

The Nighthawks committed a trio of costly seventh-inning errors as a tight game slipped away in Pomperaug's 7-3 win. Newtown fell to 11-3 overall and 6-1 in South-West Conference play, and the Panthers won their fifth straight and left the field with the same overall and SWC records as the Nighthawks.

With the game tied 3-3, a leadoff error and stolen base gave the Panthers a golden opportunity. Newtown third baseman Katie Laaksonen made a nice sliding catch on a sacrifice bunt attempt for the first out, and the Hawks got the second out on another strong defensive play. After a clean single to center field, Newtown outfielder Haley Ryan threw home to catcher Mackenzie Macchiarulo who chased a Pomperaug runner back toward third base. A pickle ensued and, eventually, Macchiarulo threw to shortstop Mali Klorczyk who tagged the runner attempting to dive back to third.

One out away from going to the bottom of the inning unscathed.

An error on an infield ground ball extended the inning and allowed the go-ahead run to score, and another error on a dropped popup in the infield followed by a two-run single, hit batter, and another RBI single put the game all but out of reach.

"We got a groundball when we needed a groundball, we got a popup when we needed a popup, we got the squib when we needed a squib and we couldn't make a play," Newtown Coach Bob Guererra said. "It's frustrating."

The Nighthawks rebounded from Pomperaug scoring in the top of the first by plating two in the bottom half of the inning as Sara Kennedy singled and Katie Laaksonen doubled; both runners scored when Klorczyk reached on an error. The Hawks missed an opportunity to score more, leaving the bases loaded to end the frame.

Kennedy pitched around trouble, allowing Pomperaug base runners in almost every inning, and racked up eight strikeouts along the way. The Panthers reclaimed the lead, 3-2, in the fifth. Newtown answered in the bottom of the fifth by manufacturing a run.

Haley Ryan hit an opposite field double to left leading off, and took third base on a groundout by Kennedy before scoring on a groundout by Laaksonen.

In the bottom of the sixth, Kamdyn Moroney led off with a walk. Lauren Wilcox came in to run for Moroney and stole second base, but was caught attempting to steal third with one out.

Asked if the Nighthawks can use this tough-to-swallow setback as motivation, and gain something from being tested for the first time in weeks, Guererra replied: "You hope that's going to be the case but you don't know."

In the first meeting, Newtown won 7-1. The double negative in the Hawks losing the second clash is that this one counts not only in the state standings but also in the SWC standings.

"It's a disappointing loss to say the least," the coach said.