NHS Recaps: Softball Team Survives Six-Run, First-Inning Debacle

By Kim J. Harmon

Atypical – a fairly innocuous statement made by Newtown High School assistant softball coach Lin Hertberg nevertheless seemed to be a fairly astute one.

Although he was only describing the way the Lady Nighthawks were knocked around in the top of the first of a South-West Conference softball game with New Fairfield, there were a few things that were atypical at Newtown High School on Tuesday afternoon.

Yes, besides the six runs the softball team allowed in that first inning (on three walks and three singles), on the next field over the baseball team was suffering a 4-1 loss to winless New Fairfield in which every run was unearned. And on the hard court nearby, a girls’ tennis match between Newtown and Bethel was well over 30 minutes late getting started.

Yes, a lot of things seemed – well, if not atypical then simply off – on Tuesday.

But at least the softball team recovered from an 8-3 deficit to earn a 9-8 win in extra innings. Maybe that set things straight again.

Softball –

In the first 10 games of the year, Lisa Morgan allowed only six earned runs. On Tuesday, she matched that total in the top of the first inning alone – yet managed to survive a 9-8 extra-inning thriller.

Sammie Ciaccia scored the game-winning run on a wild pitch, capping a wild comeback.

Ciaccia reached first when she was hit by a pitch to lead off the bottom of the eighth. After a passed ball put her on second, Stacey Gordon rapped a one-out single to put runners on the corners. Gordon then stole second, putting runners on second and third for one of the Lady Nighthawks’ most prolific hitters – Trina Ramsdell.

Ramsdell worked the at-bat, fouled off a couple of pitches, and watched as a 3-2 pitch slipped past the New Fairfield catcher and allowed Ciaccia to rush home with the winning run.

It was an atypical way to win a game, but an effective one nevertheless.

Now, Morgan entered the South-West Conference battle with New Fairfield with a ridiculous 0.65 earned run average and limiting her opponents to an even more ridiculous .110 batting average, but in the space of one inning those numbers took a savage beating.

Morgan allowed three hits and walked three batters in the top of the first and just like that the Lady Nighthawks were down 6-0.

But the ‘Hawks scratched and clawed their way back in. They got one of those runs back in the bottom of the second when Erin Murdoch scored on a Jenna Van Waalwijk single. The Lady Rebels scored again in the top of the third, but the ‘Hawks scored two in the bottom of the frame on a two-run double by Murdoch (scoring Christina Wolf and Ashley Ferris).

New Fairfield inched back up by five runs in the top of the fourth, but the ‘Hawks put together a rally in the bottom of the frame to shave the lead down to one.

Van Waalwijk and Ramsdell both singled, with Van Waalwijk scoring on a passed ball. Megan LaFlamme singled in Ramsdell and then walks earned by Wolf, Ferris and Murdoch added one more run. Morgan then helped herself with a two-run single.

And in the bottom of the sixth, another bases-loaded walk enabled the ‘Hawks to tie the score at 8-8.

Which set the stage for some bonus softball.

The ‘Hawks moved to 8-3 overall, 6-2 in the SWC, and extended their winning streak to three games.

Last week, the ‘Hawks dropped a tough 5-4 decision to unbeaten Lauralton Hall when Kim Ovittore belted a three-run homer with two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning. Morgan had been sharp on the mound, allowing just five hits while striking out 10 – but that one swing undid all of her hard work.

The ‘Hawks came back with a 21-1 rout of Kolbe-Cathedral and 7-0 shutout of Notre Dame. Morgan allowed just three hits over the two games, walking two and striking out 22.

In the win over Notre Dame, Gordon singled, tripled and drove in five runs. Wolf clobbered a grand slam home run in an explosive 14-run inning while Ferris chipped in with a pair of hits. Ramsdell and LaFlamme doubled while Murdoch tripled.

In the win over Notre Dame, Gordon tripled for the second game in a row while Morgan chipped in with a pair of hits and Ferris and Ali Legros each doubled.

                                R      H     E

Newtown                4       5     2

Lauralton Hall      5       6     2

Batteries: Newtown – Lisa Morgan and Ashley Ferris; Lauralton Hall – Kim Ovittore and Tory Pennick. WP: Ovittore (5-0). LP: Morgan (5-3). SO: Morgan 10, Ovittore 13. BB: Morgan 3, Ovittore 4. Extra Bases: Lauralton Hall – Mary Rose Sheehy (2B), Ovittore (HR).

                                R      H     E

Kolbe                        1       1     3

Newtown              21    14     0

Batteries: Kolbe – KC Cruz, Jessica Medina (2) and Erica Alvarez; Newtown – Lisa Morgan and Ashley Ferris. WP: Morgan (6-3); LP: Cruz. SO: Medina 3, Morgan 8. BB: Cruz 6, Medina 3. Extra Bases: Newtown – Trina Ramsdell (2B), Megan LaFlamme (2B), Erin Murdoch (3B), Stacey Gordon (3B), Christina Wolf (HR).

                                R      H     E

Notre Dame           0       2     2

Newtown                7    13     0

Batteries: Notre Dame – Jeanne Boulet and Dominique Courtney; Newtown – Lisa Morgan and Ashley Ferris. WP: Morgan (7-3); LP: Boulet. SO: Boulet 3, Morgan 14. BB: Boulet 2, Morgan 2. Extra Bases: Newtown – Ferris (2B). Ali Legros (2B), Stacey Gordon (3B).

                   R      H     E

New Fairfield        8       9     3

Newtown                9    11     3

Batteries: New Fairfield – Crea, Kissanse (4) and Sacrider; Newtown – Lisa Morgan and Ashley Ferris. WP: Morgan 8-3. LP: Kissanse. SO: New Fairfield – Kissanse 1; Newtown – Morgan 8. BB: New Fairfield – Crea 6, Kissanse 9; Newtown – Morgan 5. Extra Bases: Newtown – Erin Murdoch (2B).

Girls’ Lacrosse –

Head coach Sara Strait was forcing herself to be cautiously optimistic after the Newtown High School girls’ lacrosse team pounded teams like Lauralton Hall and Notre Dame (twice) and put into question the whole idea that the Lady Nighthawks were still rebuilding.

But a 12-5 win over New Milford last Thursday and a 10-9 win over defending South-West Conference champion Joel Barlow on Tuesday should pretty much change that.

What also helps is that the Lady Nighthawks were down by one to the Lady Falcons, rallying in the waning moments on goals by Kimberly Solheim (which tied the game) and Meg Regnery (which won it).

The ‘Hawks are 7-1 overall, 5-0 in the South-West Conference and are riding a six-game winning streak. For Joel Barlow, it was only the second loss of the season.

“Going into the year, everyone felt like this was a rebuilding year,” said Regnery, who has a team-high 30 goals. “But we don’t feel like that now. The win over Barlow has totally lifted our team. That was the best win I’ve ever experienced.”

Regnery finished with six goals while Solheim added two. Karli Beitel and Kelly Collier chipped in with one goal apiece. Lindsay Coyle, Kate Fenton and Heidi Ekstrom assisted on some of the goals.

Newtown held a narrow 6-5 lead at the half, but fell behind as Barlow scored four goals in the second half. But Solheim and Regnery came through late.

In the win over New Milford, the locals – thanks to speed and sharp passing – jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead on goals by Regnery, Kate Fenton and Solheim. Although the Green Wave got one back, the ‘Hawks scored three more times off the sticks of Lindsay Coyle, Kelly Collier and Beitel to take a 6-1 lead.

The last came off a pretty feed from Solheim, who arced a pass out from behind the cage just as the New Milford goaltender was urging her teammates to watch out for the cutter. Solheim later came back, after New Milford scored back-to-back goals, to illustrate the toughness of the ‘Hawks by fighting the New Milford goaltender for a ground ball.

“Everyone from the sidelines to the goalie to the players on the field are into this,” said Regnery, who likes the idea of the ‘Hawks fighting for an SWC crown again. “We’re totally pumped for that.”

Beitel, Ekstrom and Kelly Collier all scored to put the ‘Hawks up 9-3 and after the Green Wave inched back to within four, Moira Collier, Fenton and Ekstrom found the back of the net to finally put the game away.

The ‘Hawks are averaging 13.4 goals a game (the only time they scored fewer than 10 goals was in a 12-8 loss to Cheshire) and will put that potent offense up against Brookfield (Thursday), Masuk (Monday), Pomperaug (Tuesday) and Masuk against (Thursday, May 13) in a rough four-game schedule.

New Milford          5

Newtown              12

GOALS: New Milford – Caitlin Duggan 2, Whitney Fairchild, Kelsey Bull, Melissa O’Brien; Newtown – Karli Beitel 2, Lindsey Coyle 2, Kate Fenton 2, Kelly Collier 2, Meg Regnery, Kimberly Solheim, Heidi Ekstrom, Moira Collier. ASSISTS: Newtown – Beitel 2, Solheim, Fenton, Ekstrom, Casey Frobey. SAVES: New Milford – Kat Williams 9; Newtown – Kerrie Canavan 19.

Joel Barlow            9

Newtown              10

GOALS: Joel Barlow – Ripley 3, Wayne 2, Scavo 2, Grant; Newtown – Meg Regnery 6, Kim Solheim 2, Karli Beitel, Kelly Collier. ASSISTS: Joel Barlow – Scavo 4, Ripley; Newtown – Beitel, Lindsay Coyle, Kate Fenton, Heidi Ekstrom. SAVES: Joel Barlow – Liz Roche 9; Newtown – Kerrie Canavan 7.

Boys’ Lacrosse –

The Newtown High School boys’ lacrosse team may be 4-4 overall, but they are – as of this writing – undefeated in the South-West Conference and sitting on a three-game winning streak.

That statement was put to the test on Thursday when the Nighthawks traveled to Redding to take on archrival Joel Barlow. The ‘Hawks lost to Greenwich back on April 22, but since then have beaten New Fairfled (5-4), Brookfield (11-6) and New Milford (9-6).

The Nighthawks – the defending SWC champions – slipped past the Green Wave last Wednesday as Kyle Kirch scored five goals. John Oliver added two goals and assisted on five others while Jeff Bell and Pat Keating chipped in with goals.

Bell and Jim Davis assisted on goals and goaltender Chris Body made 15 saves.

After the visit with Joel Barlow on Thursday, the ‘Hawks will host Conard of West Hartford on Saturday (a 7 pm faceoff in that one) and will visit New Milford next Tuesday for a 4 pm contest. The ‘Hawks will return home on Thursday, May 13, to host Guilford.

Newtown                9

New Milford          6

GOALS: Newtown – Kyle Kirch 5, John Oliver 2, Jeff Bell, Pat Keating; New Milford – Ryan Hudson 3, Doug Curing 2, Devin Dobson. ASSISTS: Newtown – Oliver 5, Bell, Jim Davis; New Milford – Ross Guendelsberger 2, Chris Sturgeon, Curing. SAVES: Newtown – Chris Body 15; New Milford – Mike Alosco 21.

 

Baseball –

Matt Myslewski could be the poster boy for anti-venom, because he sure is snake bit.

Despite pitching very well in his five starts, with an earned run average hovering around two runs a game, the senior co-captain has little to show for it except a 1-4 record.

On Tuesday, it was as bad as it could be after he suffered a 4-1 loss to winless New Fairfield while not allowing a single earned run.

“After the game all I could say to him was I’m sorry,” said head coach Carl Strait. “Normally we’d have good defense behind him, but today we just didn’t have it. He’s a great kid and he’s busting his butt for us, he’s just had a lot of hard luck.”

With the 4-1 loss, the Nighthawks dropped to 5-7 overall.

Head coach Carl Strait was thinking about maybe playing a little small ball, trying to get an early lead and then letting the ‘Hawks take their hacks at the plate. In the bottom of the second, Pat McCarthy started things off with a hard single, taking third on an error by the New Fairfield centerfielder, and then scored on a sacrifice bunt by Mike Tibbetts.

But things took a turn for the worse.

In the top of the third, a throwing error allowed New Fairfield to score two runs and take a 2-1 lead. Then in the top of the sixth, with two outs and runners on first and second, an infield grounder that should have resulted in the final out instead turned into another run for the Rebels when no one bothered to cover second base for a force out.

And in the top of the seventh, a throwing error put another New Fairfield runner on and another throwing error on an infield grounder allowed that runner to reach third base – where the umpires ruled that McCarthy had interfered with his ability to slide into the base.

That gave the Rebels their fourth run.

Because of that ruling, though, coach Strait announced he was playing the rest of the game under protest and as of press time, the protest had been bucked all the way to the SWC commissioner. If it is upheld, the game will resume in the top of the seventh with New Fairfield leading 3-1.

Lost in the middle of all that mess, though, was a pair of sparkling defensive gems by catcher Peter Oggeri.

In the top of the fourth, the catcher scrambled up the line on an infield grounder to back up first base and dove for a wild throw that nearly went out of play. After saving a base, he then gunned down the runner attempting to steal second base.

Things went a lot better for the ‘Hawks last Wednesday against Joel Barlow. Steve Marks fired a four-hitter, walking four and striking out three in a 5-2 win. Marks helped himself at the plate, too, going 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI. McCarthy went 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI as Brian Shimko collected three hits and scored two runs.

The ‘Hawks traveled to Penders Field on Wednesday night to take on Stratford and will host Brookfield on Friday at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport (first pitch: 6 pm). The ‘Hawks will travel to New Milford on Monday and return home on Wednesday to host Jonathan Law.

                                R      H     E

New Fairfield        4       7     0

Newtown                1       2     5

Batteries: New Fairfield – Drew Murphy and Charlie Szold; Newtown – Matt Myslewski and Pete Oggeri. WP: Murphy (1-2); LP: Myslewski (1-3). SO: Murphy 7. BB: Murphy 1, Myslewski 1. Extra Bases: New Fairfield – Szold (2B).

                                R      H     E

Joel Barlow            2       4     2

Newtown                5    10     0

Batteries: Joel Barlow – Jeff Pioli and Brian Zisek; Newtown – Steve Marks and Pete Oggeri. WP: Marks (2-1). LP: Pioli. SO: Pioli 7, Marks 3. BB: Pioli 2, Marks 4. Extra Bases: Joel Barlow – Derek Swilley (2B); Newtown – Brian Shimko (2B), Pat McCarthy (2B), Steve Marks (2B).

Girls’ Track –

Last year at this time Alex Konneker was playing softball. Now she is running sprints for the Newtown High School girls’ track team and things couldn’t be better.

Last week, for the second meet in a row, Konneker swept the sprints and led the Lady Nighthawks to wins over Pomperaug (102-48), Brookfield (101½-48½) and Bunnell (84-66) to keep the ‘Hawks undefeated at 6-0. Konneker captured the 100 dash in 12.9, the 200 dash in 26.4, and the 400 dash in 61.7.

Although she may have led the way, she was not the only first-place finisher for the ‘Hawks. Kate Stickles was first in the 800 meters (2:37.7), Tara Gaston was first in the high jump (4-8), Caitlin Cosgrove was first in the discus (87-0), Quincey Blanchard was first in the long jump (15-2¼) and leah Herity was first in the pole vault (7-6)

Meanwhile, the 4x800 foursome of Katie Fullman, R. Ball, Caitlin Thursland and Carolyn Brennan was first (11:17) and the 4x400 foursome of Gaston, Ball Ciara Simek and Konneker was first (4:21.5).

Sadie Ball (800 meters), Stickles (1,600 meters), Blanchard (pole vault and high jump) and Brennan (3,200 meters) turned in second-place finishes.

Julie Landin was named Rookie of the Week for her third-place finish in the 400 meters (65.2) and her 28.0 finish in the 200 meters.

The ‘Hawks took on Stratford, Bethel and New Milford on Wednesday afternoon and next week will face New Fairfield, Immaculate and Weston down in New Fairfield.

The results –

TEAM SCORES: Newtown 102, Pomperaug 48; Newtown 101½, Brookfield 48½; Newtown 84, Bunnell 66.

Track Events

4x800 relay – 1. Newtown (Fullman, R. Ball, Thursland, C. Brennan) 11:17; 4x100 relay – 1. Bunnell (Harris, Ault, Turnier, Forrester) 52.3; 100 hurdles – 1. Anekwe (Bu) 16.8, 2. Stocking (P) 17.0, 3. Tanz (Br) 17.5; 100 dash – 1. Konneker (N) 12.9, 2. Forrester (Bu) 12.9, 3. Tanz (Br) 13.2; 1,600 meters – 1. Sullivan (P) 5:37, 2. Stickles (N) 5:41, 3. Rogers (Bu) 5:42; 400 meters – 1. Konneker (N) 61.7, 2. Turnier (Bu) 63.9, 3. Landin (N) 65.2; 300 intermediate hurdles – 1. Stocking (P) 49.9, 2. Anekwe (Bu) 50.5, 3. Delden (Br) 51.2; 800 meters – 1. Stickles (N) 2:37.7, 2. S. Ball (N) 2:38.3, 3. Northrup (P) 2:38.6; 200 dash – 1. Konneker (N) 26.4, 2. Forrester (Bu) 27.2, 3. Samuels (Br) 27.9; 3,200 meters – 1. Rogers (Bu) 12:17, 2. C. Brennan (N) 12:55, 3. McNeish (P) 12:58; 4x400 relay – 1. Newtown (Gaston, S. Ball, Simek, Konneker) 4:21.5.

Field Events

Triple jump – 1. Anekwe (Bu) 302¼, 2. Condon (Bu) 301½, 3. Simek (N) 29¼; Long jump – 1. Blanchard (N) 15-2¼, 2. Forrester (Bu) 15-1¼, 3. Delden (Br) 15¼; High jump – 1. Gaston (N) 4-8, 2. (tie) Blanchard (N) and Dlugos (Bu) 4-6; Pole vault – 1. Herity (N) 7-6, 2. (tie) Blanchard (N) and Tanz (Br) 7-0; Javelin – 1. Kenny (P) 91-11, 2. Babuskus (P) 88½, 3. Allen (Br) 82½; Discus – 1. Cosgrove (N) 87-0, 2. Kenny (P) 84-3, 3. Schurschner (Br) 78-8; Shot put – 1. Knapp (P) 28-4½, 2. Kenny (P) 27-11½, 3. Dlugos (Bu) 25-5.

Boys Track –

One was a win, the other was a loss. But both results were just fine.

On the same day (that being Tuesday) in the same quad meet, the Newtown High School boys’ track team was simultaneously facing an archrival as well as one of the top teams in New England and even though they beat the former and lost to the latter, the Nighthawks did well.

The ‘Hawks slipped past Bethel, 83-67, and at the same time fell to powerhouse New Milford, 90-60. An easy win over Stratford helped the ‘Hawks go 2-1 on the day and boost their record to 4-2 on the season.

Tim Carlisle was a double winner, taking first in the 110 high hurdles (15.9) and 300 intermediate hurdles (42.5). Edmund Breitling (javelin), John Kostecki (long jump) and Matt Miller (pole vault) also earned first-place finishes.

Joe Sgammato was second in the long jump (18-3) and second in the triple jump (38-8) to spark the ‘Hawks while Pete Dittmar was third in the 1,600 meters (4:51) and third in the 3,200 meters (10:39) while Dan McIlrath was second in the 800 meters (2:11) and Tim Larsen was second in the 400 meters (53.9).

Kostecki finished third in the triple jump (37-4).

The ‘Hawks traveled to Milford on Thursday to take on Jonathan Law, Notre Dame and Foran in a meet that was postponed from April 13. They will be back on the track on Monday to take on New Fairfield, Immaculate and Weston in New Fairfield.

The results –

TEAM SCORES: New Milford 90, Newtown 60; New Milford 99, Bethel 51; New Milford 123, Stratford 27; Newtown 83, Bethel 67.

Track Events

4x800 relay – 1. New Milford (Pat Viklund, Nick DeCrescenzo, John Reilly, David Hunt) 8:41 2. Newtown 8:42 3. Bethel 10:40; 4x100 relay – 1. New Milford (Matt Clady, Andy Bellon, Nick Anderson, Mike Russo) 46.1 2. Bethel 46.9, 3. Newtown 47.5; 4x400 relay – 1. Bethel (McDermott, Chiara, Lippins, Scales) 3:42, 2. Newtown 3. New Milford 3:53 ; 110 hurdles – 1. Tim Carlisle (N) 15.9. 2. Albert DiGiacomo (NM) 16.5 3. Ethan Palmer (NM) 18.3; 100 dash – 1., Matt Clady (NM) 11.3 2. Laport (S) 11.6, 3. (tie) McDermott (B) and DiGiacomo (NM) 11.7; 1,600 meters – 1. David Hunt (NM) 4:48, 2. Nick DeCrescenzo (NM) 4:48.4 3. Pete Dittmar (N) 4:51.5; 400 meters – 1. Scales (B) 53.7; 2. Larsen (N) 53.9; 3. Ryan Rebstock (NM) 55.9; 300 intermediate hurdles – 1. Carlisle (N) 42.5; 2. Nick Anderson (NM) 42.8; 3. Lipnick (N) 44.8; 800 meters – 1. Nick DeCrescenzo (NM) 2:05.7 2. McIlrath (N) 2:11, 3. Loepins (B) 2:13; 200 dash – 1. Matt Clady (NM) 23.5, 2. McDermott (B) 24.1; 3. Andy Bellan (NM) 24.3; 3,200 meters – 1. Patt Viklund (NM) 10:26, 2. David Hunt (NM) 10:27; 3. Dittmar (N) 10:40.

Field Events

Shot put – 1. Doug Pet (NM) 47-11, 2. Jamison (S) 43-11, 3. Laport (S) 43-0; Discus – 1. Doug Pet (NM) 132, 2. Laport (S) 123-7, 3. Dube (B) 123-1; Javelin – 1. Breitling (N) 133-6, 2. Reed (B) 131-5, 3. Knatt (S) 130-3; High Jump – 1. Kostecki (N) 5-6, 2. Josh Hinman (NM) 5-6, 3. Curtis (B) 5-4; Long Jump – 1. 1. Albert DiGiacomo (NM) 19-4, 2. Sgammato (N) 18-3, 3. Curtis (B) 17-10; Triple Jump – 1. DiGiacomo (NM) 39-11, 2. Sgammato (N) 38-8, 3. Kostecki (N) 37-4; Pole Vault – 1. Miller (N) 10-6, 2. Jack McCaffery (NM) 10-0, 3. Nick Pryor-Bennett (NM) 9-6.

Girls Tennis –

Whether it was easy or whether it was difficult, the Newtown High School girls’ tennis team nevertheless put together four wins this past week to run its record to 6-1.

The Lady Nighthawks – coming back off spring break – pounded Notre Dame (7-0) and Stratford (7-0), but to balance those two sweeps had to tough out a couple of narrow wins over Weston (4-3) and Bethel (4-3).

It was the win over Weston that was the most impressive of all of them.

As the ‘Hawks and Trojans split the four singles matches, it all came down to a nail biting third set tiebreaker at No. 2 doubles between Ashley Gabor and Emily Fields of Newtown and Brittany Wayne and Heidi Sanford of Weston.

Gabor/Fields earned the 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-2) win to lift the ‘Hawks to the victory.

“We felt we had really proven how well we can compete with this win,” said head coach Jean Kunkel. “Emily and Ashley saved the day with their courageous play against the much more experienced seniors. Emily is so athletic in her ability to get to every ball and in her poaching at the net and Ashley used a very effective lob, slice and well placed shot to set up her partner beautifully. They knew it was all hanging on their match and they stayed cool under pressure. I was never so proud of my team as I was at Doubleday Park in Westport.”

Brittany Meier fell 6-1, 6-2 to Parris Richter at No. 1 singles while Lauren Nemeth fell 6-3, 4-6, 6-2 to Britney Wilbanks at No. 2 doubles. But Tara Ryan followed with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Alex Geller at No. 3 singles while Michelle Serock added a 0-6, 6-2, 6-1 win over Allison Fleming at No. 4 singles to even the match.

“Michelle shocked her opponent by coming back from a love-six game to take over the match,” said coach Kunkel. “Michelle is a very intelligent, disciplined player who is one of the really mentally tough girls out there. She used a short ball followed by a well-placed lob and strong ground strokes to outsmart her opponent.”

Kim Allen and Jill Tanner swept Christina Tuotongi and Liz Fleming 6-4, 6-3 at No. 1 doubles while Sarah and Kristene Salbu dropped a 6-1, 6-3 decision to Johanna Locke and Kyra Kuffman at No. 3 doubles.

Setting the stage for the dramatic tiebreaking set at No. 2 doubles.

The ‘Hawks went on to sweep both Notre Dame and Stratford and returned home on Tuesday to host Bethel and came away with a dramatic 4-3 win.

“I knew we would have a tough time at No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles,” said coach Kunkel, “so I knew we had to win every other match. And even though we lost it, our best match was at No. 1 doubles. I think they really showed something.”

Allen and Tanner dropped a tough 6-3, 4-6, 6-4 decision to Marta Jachowicz and Suzanna Schumacher, one of the top doubles teams in the South-West Conference. What impressed coach Kunkel was the way the Newtown duo sloughed off the first-set defeat to rally back in the second set and give the Bethel duo a run.

Meier fell 6-4, 6-0 to Brianna Quindazzi at No. 1 singles and Nemeth battled through a 7-6 (6-2), 6-2 loss to Julia Jachowicz at No. 2 singles before Ryan and Serock cruised at No. 3 and No. 4 singles. Ryan earned a 6-1, 6-0 win over Kerri Kipe while Serock earned a 6-0, 6-4 win over Tiffany Chambers.

Gabor and Fields turned in another stellar performance at No. 2 doubles, sweeping Kelly Giovanni and Jeannette Knipe 6-1, 6-1. Sarah Salbu and Stephanie Corleto finished things off with a 7-5, 6-2 win over Christina Franzese and Scarlet Gonzalez at No. 3 doubles.

The ‘Hawks visited Jonathan Law on Wednesday and hosted Masuk on Thursday. The girls will travel to Danbury on Monday to square off against Immaculate before returning home on Wednesday and Thursday to host New Milford and Pomperaug.

Boys Tennis –

Head coach Marty Margulies was not all distressed that the Newtown High School boys’ tennis team was whitewashed 7-0 by Weston last week. Of course, it probably helped that the Nighthawks did the same thing to Notre Dame, Stratford and Bethel this past week to run their record to 6-2 on the year.

The ‘Hawks had one three matches in a row until Wednesday, April 28, when the undefeated Trojans came to town.

And the streak ended.

“Despite the seemingly one-sided score I was by no means displeased,” said coach Margulies. “Some of the matches were winnable: Drew Adamek did an especially impressive job of stretching his opponent at third singles and many of the games in each set were closer than the match scores might suggest. Our guys made some mistakes, but they will learn from them. This is, after all, a mostly young team, and it was playing against the best and most experienced team in the conference.”

Matt McFadden fell 6-1, 6-2 to Mike Shea at No. 1 singles while Jason Garbarino was swept 6-0, 6-0 by Mike Oberman at No. 2 singles. Adamek was edged 6-2, 6-4 by Ben DaBush at No. 3 singles and Chris Martin was stopped 6-0, 6-2 by Brandon Gillespie at No. 4 singles.

Chris Meier and Max Margulies fell 6-2, 6-1 to Jesse Kirschenbaum and Corey Brandfron at No. 1 doubles while Tyler Hull and Bruno Moura fell 6-1, 6-0 to Eric Kaslam and Taylor Stein at No. 2 doubles. Wes Boisvert and Jim Wilkins were dropped 6-1, 6-1 by Brandon Ronaroff and Evan Bloom at No. 3 doubles.

“The kids are improving almost daily,” said coach Margulies,”and the best way to improve is to go up against older and stronger players, as we did today. I’m confident we shall have an overall winning record, and don’t count us out as play-off contenders either.”

The ‘Hawks went on to crush Stratford, 7-0, and lost just one game in the process while Mike Coster saw his first varsity action at No. 2 doubles and performed well. The ‘Hawks then went on to crush Notre Dame and only McFadden’s 6-4, 6-2 win over Will Tepler at No. 1 singles was competitive.

“Matt was the only player who was stretched and he acquitted himself well against a challenging opponent,” said coach Margulies. “I believe that, on a good day, (Matt) is the best in the conference.”

The ‘Hawks finished off the week with a 7-0 sweep of Bethel on Tuesday. Although the Wildcats won a few games, the ‘Hawks did not drop a set as McFadden, Garbarino, Adamek and Martin all won their singles matches and the duos of Meier/ Hull, Wilkins/ Boisvert and Coster/Peter Kim won their doubles matches.

“Bethel is a young team,” said coach Margulies. “All four of its singles players were freshmen and it should become a contender if its youngsters develop. The season’s real tests begin tomorrow (Wednesday), when we meet Jonathan Law at home.”

The ‘Hawks traveled to Monroe on Thursday to take on Masuk and will return home on Monday to face Immaculate before traveling to New Milford on Thursday, May 13.

Golf –

After a somewhat disappointing start to the 2004 season, the Newtown High School golf team has reeled off three wins in a row … although not that easily.

Oh sure, the Nighthawks pounded Notre Dame last week, 166-193, at Newtown Country Club, but on Monday (in the rain) the ‘Hawks had to go to the fifth-man tiebreaker to edge Weston at Heritage Village Country Club and on Tuesday survived a less than sharp effort at Orange Hills Country Club to slip past Jonathan Law, 182-190.

Still, the ‘Hawks are 3-1.

In the win over Notre Dame, Ron Shimko and Andrew Fiscella were co-medalists with rounds of 6-over 40. Ben Moore chipped in with a 42 while Dave Freeston added a solid 44, which was even better than the Lancers’ best round of 46.

In the win over Weston, the match came down to the fifth men – Jon Cain of Newtown and Brandon Hylwa of Weston. And with Cain carding a 46 on the tough Heritage Village course and Hylwa coming in with a 53, the ‘Hawks survived the 169-169 win.

Joe Fucigna of Weston was medallist with a strong 2-over 38, but Shimko carded a 4-over 40 and Moore followed with a 5-over 41. Fiscella and Jeremy Myers of Weston canceled each other out with rounds of 43, but the ‘Hawks picked up a pair of strokes when Dave McLaughlin came in with a 9-over 45.

On Tuesday, the Newtown scores were high at Orange Hills – but the Jonathan Law scores were higher.

Newtown’s Moore, JP McDade and Law’s Kevin Blake shared medallist honors with rounds of 8-over 44. Fiscella came in at 45 and McLaughlin followed with a 49 to help lead the ‘Hawks to their third win over the season.

The ‘Hawks hosted Bunnell on Thursday at the Newtown Country Club, but next week will travel to Brookfield (Monday) and Redding (Tuesday) before returning home to host Masuk (Thursday) at Heritage Village in Southbury.