Knights’ Playoff Highlights And Season Recap

The Newtown Knights played an errorless playoff game, but their season ended with a 2-0 loss to Ridgefield in a brilliant pitchers’ duel at Fairfield Hills Field, recently.

Newtown’s Jon Hull scattered seven hits and yielded just two runs in 5 2/3 innings before exiting with a leg injury. Reliever Dean Demers blanked Ridgefield the rest of the way.

Using a ten-player lineup and an entire squad consisting of next season’s Ridgefield High School junior varsity team, Ridgefield entered the game with a big advantage against Newtown, which batted all 13 players.

Newtown couldn’t break through for runs against Ridgefield’s hard-throwing Devin Martin who yielded only four hits over five innings — singles by Hull, Ben Stoller, John Lebinski, and Austin Ekstrom. Ridgefield’s Jayson Maura came on in relief to get the save with two perfect innings.

Newtown threatened Ridgefield in the first inning when Hull slashed a single to right center and Stoller slapped a single in the hole between third base and shortstop. Demers ripped the ball right at shortstop Bryce Maher for an easy double play.

In the second inning, Newtown loaded the bases. Lebinski crushed a single down the left field line, Brandon Cooper walked, and Ekstrom drilled a single to left. But Ridgefield got out of the jam on a bizarre play. Nick Sajovic hit a liner to Maher, freezing the runners, before the shortstop dropped the ball. Maher picked up the ball, threw home for a force out, and the catcher threw to third for a double play.

Despite the loss, the Knights finished the season with a 14-7 record and a host of accomplishments.

The team, comprised of 15U players (and one 14U player) became the first Newtown team to play in a fall 16U league, paving the way for future Newtown teams to play 16U baseball in the fall and, possibly, the spring. Many teams the Knights faced had many 16U players on their rosters, including 17- and 18-year-old high-school varsity players.

The Knights also became the first recreational or travel team to play in a professional baseball stadium. On October 28, Newtown beat Pomperaug 20-8 at The Ballpark at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport.

Newtown finished the season with a .272 batting average, led by Demers and Stoller, each of whom hit over .400. Demers finished with a .429 average with 15 hits in 35 at bats, and Stoller hit .404 (21 hits in 52 at bats).

Stoller led the team in hits, runs scored (25) and stolen bases (23), and Stoller and Lebinski shared the RBI lead (14 each). Hull finished third in batting average at .381, followed by Lebinski at .348 and Eric Sutton at .333. Sutton led the team with 11 extra-base hits, followed by Stoller and Lebinski with six each. Demers had the highest on-base percentage (.556), followed by Lebinski (.524) and Stoller (.516).

The Knights had magnificent pitching throughout the season, because of the powerful arms and crafty mound work of Hull, Demers, and Colton Sposta. Hull led the staff with a 2.84 earned-run average, yielding just 22 hits and nine walks, while striking out 29 batters, in 25 innings.

Demers posted a 4.00 ERA, surrendering 29 hits and a remarkably low four walks, while striking out 30 batters, in 27 innings. Sposta had a 4.86 ERA, yielding 42 hits and just 12 walks, while striking out 30 batters, in 33 innings.

Defensively, Ekstrom committed the least errors (1), followed by Stoller, Demers and Nick Heron (each with three).