U12 Hawks Second In New England Regional Tournament

The U12 Hawks softball team, recently crowned the Connecticut state champions, traveled to Pittsfield, Mass. July 22-24 to try and capture the title of New England regional champions. The Hawks, led by Head Coach Monica Mueller, gave it their all and brought home the runner-up trophy.

The Hawks were relentless in their quest for the first-place trophy and put forth an outstanding effort and sportsmanship.

The tournament began with two pools of four teams playing a round-robin format and ending with a four-team double elimination round. At the end of pool play, the Newtown Hawks found themselves as the top seed in their pool. The Hawks took on Vermont in the first game of pool play and earned an 11-0 win.

In game two of pool play, the Hawks beat Halifax, Mass. in a 3-2 victory. Lauren Wilcox pitched the entire game and gave an outstanding performance. Wilcox, shortstop Caitlyn Linden, right fielder Rylee Mulligan, and catcher Bella Luciano made strong defensive plays. Haley Ryan and Kelly Merrick made some great plays together for the outs at first base.

At bat, Linden and Ryan each had a double, and Linden hit her second homerun of the tournament.  Wilcox contributed two singles, Kelly Merrick gave her team an RBI, Cassidy Keller hit a single, and Katie Riley had an RBI.

In the last game of pool play the Hawks came up against Rochester, NH. It was an evenly-matched game, but the Hawks suffered a 1-0 loss. Pitching duties where shared by Wilcox, Tegan Doherty, and Emily Bell.

The Hawks made impressive fielding plays to keep runs out of the books, which lead them to be the winners of pool play. The Hawks were fired up and ready for the double elimination stage of the tournament. The team would face their Connecticut rivals, Stamford Stars, in the first game of elimination play. 

It was a nail-biter to say the least, but the Hawks came from behind to win the game, 4-3. Wilcox and Bell split the pitching duties. Wilcox pitched the first three innings and Bell finished the game, not giving up any runs. Third baseman Riley, and shortstop Linden, snagged several balls to make plays with Merrick for outs at first base. Merrick also made several outstanding solo plays at first base, and Luciano made a nice catch at the plate.

Ryan had a single and an RBI, Linden had a single and RBI, and Merrick’s bat was on fire, as she hit a single and a triple and contributed an RBI. Bell had a perfect bunt for a base hit, as well as a double.  Mulligan came in to run for Bell and scored on the bunt. Luciano also had a single, and Doherty pinch ran and scored. Sammie Strocchia gave her team a solid bunt for a base hit and Shannon Lynch put a single and an RBI in the books.

On the final day of the tournament, the Hawks found themselves one game away from the regional title, and would once again face Halifax, and fell 5-1. Wilcox and Bell again split the pitching duties, each giving it all they had. Wilcox also played left field and made a great catch. The outfielders had their work cut out for them, but Cassidy Keller, Lynch, and Strocchia gave it their all.

Riley, Strocchia, and Ryan each had a single, but the Halifax fielders did not allow many balls to get by them. The Hawks would need to play Halifax one more time in order to determine the tournament winner of the double-elimination tourney.

After a short rest, the Hawks were back on the field ready to give it their best shot, but Halifax prevailed 2-1. Wilcox took the mound again and gave another strong performance, as did catcher Luciano who gave a tireless effort behind the plate in every game of the tournament.

The Hawks thank their sponsors for their support: Strocchia Iron Works, All Around Contracting, DVP Technologies, Wellbaskets.com, and Poland Spring Direct.