By Kim J. Harmon

MONROE – It was shocking, simply shocking.

With angry storm clouds gathering overhead, the Newtown High School softball team was one strike away from capturing a 4-2 win over Masuk last Friday when Kelly Milone belted a two-run triple to tie the score.

Then Brooke Larsen tipped a short dinker in front of the plate that spun just inside the foul line, a few feet in front of home plate. Newtown catcher Ashley Ferris went out to grab the ball and Larsen, on her way to first, ran into Ferris’ hand.

The ball fell to the ground and while everyone was tying to figure out what had happened, Milone scampered across the plate with what proved to be the winning run.

The 5-4 loss may have halted Newtown’s four-game winning streak, but the Lady Nighthawks rebounded pretty well with a tough, 3-1, win over Brookfield on Monday afternoon. Now the ‘Hawks are 8-2 overall, 7-2 in the South-West Conference. They were set to play Bunnell on Wednesday and Trumbull on Thursday before hosting Foran on Monday – all at Dickinson Park.

Although the game with Masuk ended on a poor note, it still was a thrilling affair. Newtown took advantage of three Masuk errors to score a pair of runs and take a 2-0 lead. Masuk rallied to tie the score, 2-2, but Brittany Hutchison broke the tie in the top of the sixth with a run scoring triple. Hutchison then scored on a sacrifice fly by Caitlyn Elf and had to survive a collision with Masuk catcher Brooke Larsen to do it.

Lisa Morgan suffered the loss on the mound while walking two and striking out eight. On Monday against, Morgan (now 8-1 with a 0.73 ERA) was even sharper, firing a three-hitter while walking three and striking out 13.

Trina Ramsdell handed Newtown a 1-0 lead with a home run (her third of the year) in the top of the third. In the top of the fourth, Ashley Ferris tripled and scored on a wild pitch and Caitlyn Elf, who was plunked with a pitch and then stole second, scored on a single by Morgan to give Newtown a 3-0 lead.

Brookfield scored its only run in the bottom of the fifth on a bases-loaded single by Marissa Zanno.