What a couple of days for Newtown High School’s softball team. The Nighthawks swept a two-opponent double header at Treadwell Park on May 13, then scored a dozen runs in the last two innings of a wild 20-12 victory over host New Milford, the next day.

Mikayla Kuligowski had four base hits, including her 100th career knock, in the win over New Milford. Jill Lasorsa hit a tie-breaking grand slam in an 8-2 win over Norwalk the day before; Sara Kennedy pitched for her first varsity win. And the Nighthawks also toppled New Fairfield 15-3 in the second game of the split double header.

The Hawks carry a 14-4 overall mark and 10-1 record in South-West Conference play into a Monday, May 18, visit to Masuk of Monroe (first pitch is scheduled for 4:15 pm). They hold the best conference record as the postseason approaches; the regular-season finale is a May 19 Senior Night game against New Milford, which will take place at Treadwell Park, beginning at 7 pm.

Against Norwalk, a tough FCIAC team that came into the contest with ten wins and having beaten a Trumbull squad that defeated Newtown in the season opener, the Hawks fell behind 2-0 on a pair of unearned runs in the top of the first inning. Kennedy was dominant throughout the start, allowing three hits and two walks, and striking out ten batters.

Trailing 2-1 in the fifth inning, Newtown evened the score on a Kuligowski RBI double. It was a 2-2 game going into the bottom of the sixth and the Bears appeared poised to keep it that way heading to the seventh before Newtown used patience and power to work some two-out magic.

Down to their final out in the frame, the Hawks loaded the bases on a Megan Goyda single and back-to-back walks by Kamdynn Moroney and Mackenzie Macchiarulo. That set the stage for Lasorsa’s grand slam to deep center field, giving the Hawks a 6-2 lead. Haley Ryan followed with a triple and scored on a Kuligowski single, and Newtown, aided by a Norwalk error, tacked on another run.

Kuligowski, Kennedy, Goyda, Lasorsa, and Ryan each had a pair of hits, accounting for all of Newtown’s ten hits.

In the nightcap, there was much less suspense as the Hawks run-ruled New Fairfield, widening the spread to a dozen runs in the fifth inning when’s the game was called. Gillian Galante received all of this run support and improved to 5-0.

Moroney homered and, along with Goyda, was 3-for-3 with a trio of runs batted in. Kennedy also homered and drove in three as part of a 2-for-3 performance at the plate. Katie Laaksonen added two hits and a run driven in.

In the game at New Milford, Kuligowski went 4-for-5 and her fourth knock pushed her into the distinctive 100-hit club, which includes Kate Bowen and Jess Gibbons. Laaksonen had a huge day at the plate, going 5-for-5 with three extra-base hits, including a home run. Ryan had four hits for the Hawks.

The Nighthawks trailed New Milford 11-8 when they came to bat in the sixth, and proceeded to plate a dozen runs in two innings to come from behind and then put the game away. Newtown scored seven runs in the sixth and five more in the fifth.

Kennedy earned the win with a solid relief effort. She entered with no outs in the fourth inning and allowed two runs, striking out four batters, in her four frames.

The Hawks will begin SWC tourney action on Saturday, May 23, when they host an opponent to be determined.