By Kim J. Harmon

It was the kind of thing that head coach John Larkins probably dreaded would happen.

A slow start.

An abysmally slow start – at the plate (with a .214 team batting average, a .227 team on-base percentage, and a .250 team slugging percentage) and on the mound (with 27 hits and 20 runs allowed in just 20 innings of work) – that had the Nighthawks staring at an 0-3 record as they got set to battle Brookfield on Wednesday.

The ‘Hawks dropped an 8-2 decision to Pomperaug last Thursday in their season opener at Community Field in Southbury and then came home on Saturday (on a brisk, almost bitter, morning) and fell 3-1 and 9-5 to St. Joseph’s of Trumbull.

It’s not all bad news, though. At least Kevin Carolan (4-of-10 with four singles and two runs scored) has been hitting and at least Keith Neidig (scattering five hits with three walks and six strikeouts in seven innings of work) has turned in a solid pitching performance.

But the ‘Hawks are still 0-3.

Like the New England weather, though, these things are apt to change with little warning. After their Wednesday matchup with Brookfield, the ‘Hawks look to markedly change their fortunes this week against Bunnell on Saturday, Masuk on Monday, and Stratford next Wednesday.

Sluggish Opener

One run in the bottom of the first and two more in the bottom of the second had Pomperaug High School off and running in the 2001 season opener last Thursday.

Newtown pitcher Gregg Burkhart struggled with his control in the first two innings as he walked four batters and allowed three singles. Good fortune did, however, smile on him as a single and double in the fourth inning and triple and single in the fifth inning failed to account for any runs because of great plays by Rob Weiss (nailing a runner at third) and Carolan (nailing a runner at home).

The Panthers, however, did strike again – scoring five runs in the bottom of the fifth. They took advantage of two singles, a double, and two hit batsmen to increase their lead to 8-0.

Newtown scored its only two runs in the top of the sixth inning. Carolan singled, stole second and third, and scored on a sacrifice by Burkhart. Nick Savino then doubled and later scored on a two-out single by Matt McCarthy.

Carolan finished with two hits while Savino, McCarthy, Collin Anderson and Ron Isler had one hit apiece.

Double Dip Loss

Even though the ‘Hawks still hadn’t started hitting in the first game of a Saturday doubleheader with St. Joseph’s of Trumbull, it seemed okay because Neidig was in control.

Neidig spun a shutout through the five innings, allowing just three hits while walking three batters and striking out four, and waited for the Newtown bats to finally come across.

They did – in the bottom of the fifth inning, when Pete Engel singled, moved to second on an error, to third with a stolen base, and scored on a fielder’s choice grounder by Anderson.

The 1-0 lead didn’t last, though. St. Joseph’s finally reached Neidig in the top of the sixth for one run (on a leadoff triple and one-out single) and in the top of the seventh for two runs (on a single, two errors, and infield grounder) to take a 3-1 lead.

A 3-1 lead that would hold up as four of the final six Newtown batters were struck out.

The ‘Hawks did get started on the right foot in Game 2, though, as Carolan and Savino led off the bottom of the first with back-to-back singles and later scored thanks to a St. Joseph’s error and a single by Dave Roodhuyzen.

But St. Joseph’s tied the score up in the top of the second and then took a 4-2 lead with runs in the third and fifth innings.

In the bottom of the sixth, Weiss came through for the ‘Hawks (after Roodhuyzen and Engel had collected back-to-back one-out singles) with a two-run triple that knotted the score at 4-4.

St. Joseph’s exploded for five runs in the top of the seventh inning, however, on three singles, a double, and three Newtown errors. All the ‘Hawks could do after that was score one run in the bottom of the frame on a sacrifice fly by John Pantan.

Coach Larkins has been concerned about how his team would play “once it crossed the white line” and so far it hasn’t been all he could hope for – for a team that fell just a couple wins shy of qualifying for the CIAC state tournament a year ago.