Knights Baseball Team Highlights

Newtown Knights 16U/15U fall baseball season highlights are as follows:

Knights 13, Waterbury 0: Led by the one-hit pitching of Colton Sposta and three hits by John Lebinski, the Knights played their best game of the season Sunday at Fairfield Hills. The win upped the local club’s record to 10-5. Sposta pitched four no-hit innings before yielding a single in the fifth inning. Effectively using all his pitches — fast ball, slider and change-up curve — Sposta baffled the Waterbury hitters, striking out 10 and walking only one before the 10-run rule ended the game after 4 ½ innings. The Knights sent 11 batters to the plate during an eight-run second inning. Lebinski led off the inning with a single and scored the first run on an error. He batted a second time in the inning with the bases loaded and blasted a long, three-RBI double over the left fielder’s head. Austin Ekstrom had two singles and an RBI in the inning. Lebinski finished the game with three runs scored, and four teammates — Jon Hull, Brandon Cooper, Ben Stoller and John Hampford — scored two runs each. Nick Heron slashed a two-RBI single to center with the bases loaded for the Knights’ final two runs in a five-run fourth inning. Cooper played a solid defensive game at catcher and threw out a runner trying to steal second in the third inning.

Ridgefield 8, Knights 5: Ridgefield slapped eight hits and took advantage of seven Newtown errors in a sloppy game Saturday at Fairfield Hills Field. Newtown led 2-0 after one inning. Reid Schmidt walked, Jon Hull singled and Schmidt scored when the right fielder’s throw bounced past the third baseman. Dean Demers followed with an RBI double over the left fielder’s head. Newtown yielded three unearned runs in the second inning and never again took the lead. Though he received little defensive support, Demers pitched a strong complete game, walking two batters over seven innings. Newtown’s bats were silent with only three hits, including two singles by Hull.

Knights 9, Pomperaug 6: Knights pitcher Jon Hull scattered four hits and struck out seven batters over five innings to get the win last week at Fairfield Hills Field. It was another fine performance by the Knights’ pitching staff, which has excelled all season. Newtown scored six runs on errors, two runs on wild pitches and one run when Ben Stoller walked, stole second and scored on a double by Eric Sutton. Nicky Sajovic scored two runs for the Knights. Playing shortstop in the final inning, Hull booted a groundball but immediately made up for it by getting the final out. He faked a throw to first and alertly threw to third baseman Dan Poeltl, who made a nifty tag, to catch a Pomperaug runner off third base and end the game.