Knights Baseball Highlights
Knights Baseball Highlights
Newtown Knights 16/15U baseball results from this past week are as follows:
Knights 12, Pomperaug 8: Reid Schmidt rapped three hits, scored three runs, and was the winning pitcher in relief for the Knights Saturday at Fairfield Hills Field. The win upped the Knightsâ record to 8-4 overall and 6-4 in the Stamford Fall League. Teammate John Lebinski also had a big game with a double, single, two runs scored and two stolen bases. Other big contributors: Austin Ekstrom, who doubled twice, knocked in two runs and scored two runs; Ben Stoller, who scored a run, had an RBI single and stole three bases, and John Hampford, who scored two runs and made a diving first-inning catch in right field. Taking advantage of numerous Pomperaug errors, the Knights built a 7-1 lead after three innings but squandered it and fell behind 8-7. In the bottom of the fifth inning, Lebinski blasted a double to left center, stole third and scored the tying run when the catcherâs throw went into left field. In the sixth innings, Newtown scored four runs to put the game on ice. Ekstrom doubled to left center and was driven in by a long RBI sacrifice fly to left by Nick Heron. Hampford reached on an error, stole second and went to third when Schmidt singled. Brandon Cooper reached on a two-base throwing error by the third baseman, scoring Schmidt. Ben Stoller knocked an RBI single to left.
Knights 6, Waterbury 5: Brandon Cooper carried the Knights to victory with two long doubles and three RBIs last Friday night at Waterburyâs Bucks Hill Field. Newtown pitchers Dean Demers and Jon Hull pitched brilliantly, stifling the big Waterbury bats. Newtown scored three runs in its first at-bat when Eric Sutton walked, Demers was hit by a pitch and Cooper drilled a two-RBI double over the center fielderâs head. Cooper scored the third run on two wild pitches. Waterbury scored a run in the bottom of the inning when Joe Mateo crushed a triple to left center and scored on Joe OâNeilâs sacrifice fly. Demers then tossed two shutout innings before Waterbury narrowed the gap to 4-3 on a single by Josh Rivera, a double by Mateo and a two-RBI double by OâNeil. In the fifth inning, Sutton doubled to left center, and Demers tagged a wicked, line-drive RBI double to right center. Demers moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on a game-winning RBI groundout by Colton Sposta to boost Newtownâs lead to 6-3. With two Waterbury runners on base in the bottom of the fifth, Demers was tough in the clutch, striking out two batters looking. The next batter reached on a hit by pitch to load the bases, and Jon Hull came on in relief. One run scored on a passed ball, and Rivera singled to reload the bases. Mateo crushed a 385-foot fly to deep center that chased center fielder Sposta back toward the fence. In the darkness of a poorly lit outfield, Sposta refused to crumble under the pressure and made a one-handed catch to end the inning. Hull struck out three batters in a scoreless sixth inning, and then Waterbury scratched out a run on a walk, two passed balls and a wild pitch in the final inning to narrow the lead to 6-5. But Hull reached back with a blazing fast ball and struck out the final three batters, including the last one looking.
Knights 9 Newtown 14U/13U 3: The Newtown 14U/13U club outplayed the Knights for the first three innings before succumbing in an exhibition game at Fairfield Hills Field last week. The heady Newtown 14U club tallied three first-inning runs with the aid of five consecutive walks. Bobby Archiere walked and later scored on a passed ball. Stephen Grasso walked, stole second, moved to third on a passed ball and scored on a line-drive RBI single by Mike Davenport. Kaleb Rowe walked and later scored on an RBI fielderâs choice by Anthony Venezia. Newtown 14Uâs starting pitcher, Eric Pisani, pitched superbly, throwing three shutout innings before yielding an unearned run in the fourth inning. The Knightsâ John Lebinski reached on an infield error, stole second and scored on a line-drive RBI single by Colton Sposta. Down 3-1 in the fifth inning, the Knights erupted for four runs. Ben Stoller ripped a single over third base, and Eric Sutton lofted a double. Pisani left the game after scattering seven hits and walking none. The Knightsâ Dean Demers crushed a two-RBI double to center field, scoring Stoller and Sutton. Lebinski slapped an RBI single up the middle past a drawn-in infield and later scored on a wild pitch. The Knights upped the lead to 6-3 in the sixth inning after Stoller drilled a double down the right-field line. Sutton struck out, but the catcher dropped the ball and threw to first. Stoller alertly moved to third on the passed ball and kept running, stealing home on the throw to first base. In the seventh inning, the Knights added three more runs on two errors, two walks, three wild pitches and RBI groundballs by Stoller and John Hampford. Sutton pitched beautifully in relief for 3 1/3 hitless innings, yielding two walks and striking out six batters. Newtown 14U finished with three hits, two singles by Davenport and one single by Pisani.
Pomperaug 7, Knights 3: The Knightsâ bats were silent, and the team made four errors in a poor performance last week at Southburyâs Community Field. Pomperaug led 6-0 after three innings. Newtown scored its first run in the fourth when Brandon Cooper and Dean Demers walked, Eric Sutton singled and John Lebinski drove in a run with a walk. The Knights tallied two more in the fifth. Colton Sposta laced a double, John Hampford smacked a single and Jon Hull slapped an RBI single. Demers later walked with the bases loaded to score Hampford.