For the second year in a row the Bethel-based Famous Pizza squad edged Newtown’s Castle Hill Chocolate in the Newtown-Bethel Women’s Softball League Championship game, this year posting a hard-fought 11-9 win in the pinnacle contest at Treadwell Park on August 16. This game was a matchup of the top two seeds among ten teams as Famous Pizza was No. 1 in the standings.

Victoria Berry broke sixth-inning tie with a home run and Famous Pizza added an insurance run, when Janine Scolpino hit a line drive to center to send in Sarah Bruno, before shutting the door in the top of the seventh. There was a game-ending double play as right Center fielder Melissa Spaziani made a catch for the second out and then, when second baseman Dani Scolpino called for the ball, Spaziani threw out the Castle Hill runner attempting to get back to second base.

Castle Hill fought back throughout the contest. Trailing 1-0 in the third inning, the Chocolate squad scored three times. Melina and Sienna Cummings both had key hits. Courtesy runner Jen Timpanelli (running for Jessica Halas following a single) came around for a 2-1 lead. Leigh Libero followed with a sacrifice fly to make it 3-1.

Famous Pizza scored six runs in the bottom of the third to seize a 7-3 lead.

Deanna Forlastro drove in Janine Scolpino and Jenny O'Connor, Maddie McDowell sent in Dani Scolpino, Spaziani had an RBI when she drove in Forlastro and McDowell, and Kerri Kaylor who knocked in Spaziani as Famous Pizza built its lead.

Castle Hill cut the deficit in half with a pair of runs in the fourth. Izzy Satmary started the frame with a single. Cassie Achenbach delivered a booming double, and Timpanelli and Denise Brough followed with RBI singles making it 7-5.

In the bottom of the fourth, Famous Pizza got the two runs back but had a chance for more stymied by a pair of nice fielding plays by pitcher Brough. First, she tracked down an infield roller between the pitcher’s circle and third base and dove while throwing to narrowly get a force out at third. Then came a relay throw from Brough to catcher Timpanelli; in her first game behind the plate, Timpanelli made a nice tag to deny the run.

It was 9-5 in the top of the fifth when Castle Hill scored three times. Halas and Sienna Cummings each singled and Libero legged out a two-run triple making the score 9-7. Kathryn Smith drove in Libero on a groundout, and it was 9-8 heading to the bottom of the fifth.

Castle Hill worked around a pair of Famous Pizza hits in the inning with Smith making a leaping grab at shortstop to end the frame. In the sixth the Chocolate squad tied the score. Timpanelli and Brough each had singles and Halas was clutch with a two-out, opposite-field RBI single to make it 9-9.

The playoffs were full of exciting games. Castle Hill was coming off a 9-8 walk-off win over The Athlete’s Source of Bethel in extra innings the night before. Castle Hill trailed 8-7 in the bottom of the eighth and rallied with Emma Longo driving in the decisive run on a hit to deep right center. In the first round of the playoffs, on August 12, Sienna Cummings hit a grand slam in a 20-8 win over Caraluzzi’s. In other first-round games, Dental Associates beat Forest Construction 12-3 and Athletes Source topped Mediassociates 9-5. Famous Pizza won due to forfeit by Quality Gem.

Mediassociates was seeded No. 3, followed by No. 4 Dental Associates (Newtown), No. 5 Forest Construction (Newtown), No. 6 The Athlete’s Source (Bethel), No. 7 Caraluzzi’s (Bethel), No. 8 Quality Gem (Bethel), No. 9 Greenwood Features (Bethel), and No. 10 Better Homes Remodeling (Newtown). Representatives from each of the teams played in a game for fun following the championship contest.

Sports Editor Andy Hutchison can be reached at andyh@thebee.com.