The Cal Ripken Connecticut state champion Newtown Wildcats capped off their season with three nail-biting games in the New England Regional Tournament in Dover, NH, July 16-18, ending with a fifth-place finish.

In the opening game of the double-elimination tournament versus New Bedford, Mass, Jack Petersen and Zack Majeski pitched Newtown to a 2-1 victory. Petersen hurled four innings and struck out seven, giving up one unearned run. Petersen gave the Wildcats a 2-1 lead in the fourth with their only hit of the day, a solo home run. Zander Kasbarian walked, stole second, advanced to third on a Karl Miller fly out, and scored on a wild pitch earlier in the inning. Newtown Player of the Game, Majeski relieved with a runner on in the fifth and got out of a first and second no out jam with two strikeouts and a deep fly out to right fielder Andrew McMahon who made a nice catch on the warning track, and then survived a bases loaded scare in the sixth to earn the save.

In Game two, Newtown faced Swanzey, NH, and fell 2-1. Swanzey got on the board in the second when Trevor Heise singled with runners on second and third and two outs, but only scored one run because center fielder Karl Miller threw out the second Swanzey runner at the plate to end the inning. The Wildcats found the hard fastballs of Swanzey ace Jacob Kioney difficult to handle, striking out ten times while mustering only two walks (both by Hayden Miller). In the third inning, Kasbarian homered on a 3-2 pitch to give Newtown its only run. Newtown's only other hit in the first five innings was a single by Zack Majeski in the second. Entering the sixth tied 1-1, Newtown threatened when Kasbarian singled with one out, advanced to second on an error, and to third on a wild pitch. With two outs, another wild pitch was thrown and Kasbarian took off for home but the ball hit the pole in the chain linked fence and bounced right back to the catcher who turned around and dove to tag Kasbarian out. Newtown Player of the Game Matt Pietrorazio was fabulous on the mound, scattering five hits through the first five innings. But in the bottom of the sixth, with one out, Kioney ended the game with a solo walk-off home run to send Newtown to the loser's bracket.

In Game three, Newtown faced Hudson, Mass in another low-scoring nail-biter, and was edged 3-2. Kasbarian faced hard-throwing Connor Salmon in a pitcher's duel. Newtown struck first, in the fourth inning, when Kasbarian and Karl Miller hit consecutive doubles, followed by a Hayden Miller single. Hayden Miller was caught stealing, but Petersen lined a single to drive in Karl Miller to give the Wildcats a 2-0 lead. In the top of the fifth, Kasbarian, who was cruising on the mound, gave up a single and a walk, and with two outs, tried a pickoff play at first, but threw the ball into right field allowing the runner on second to score and the runner on first to advance to third. After another walk, and two consecutive hit-by-pitches, Hayden Miller relieved and also hit the first batter he faced, giving Hudson a 3-2 lead. Newtown could only muster a Steven Cotton single the rest of the way, putting an end to the season. Newtown Player of the Game Karl Miller was 2-for-3 and Ryan Heran also had a single for Newtown.

The Connecticut state runners-up, New Milford, went on to defeat Swanzey, NH in the winner's bracket final and defeated Hudson, MA 10-9 on a walk-off single to win the championship and advance to the Cal Ripken World Series in Aberdeen, Maryland. Newtown finished the season as Cal Ripken state champs and will march in the Newtown Labor Day Parade.