SOUTHBURY – Less than a year after a top five finish at the Cal Ripken World Series in Russellville, Arkansas, the Newtown Babe Ruth Baseball 11-year-old All Star team has begun its assault on the 2006 season.

It started in Southbury and ended with a thrilling, 8-5 win over a much-improved New Canaan team in nine innings.

The Bombers got out to a quick start in the championship, scoring three runs in the top of the first inning to take a 3-0 lead. Reid Schmidt led off the inning with a walk and after singles by Andy Kelley and Gary Braun, scored on a wild pitch. Kyle Wilcox then got a run home on a ground ball to short and Richie Sandler plated the third run with a double, scoring Braun.

New Canaan got a run back in the bottom of the inning and the Bombers wasted singles by Michael Allwein and Schmidt in the top of the second,  but starting pitcher Colton Sposta recorded a 1-2-3 inning in the bottom of the second to keep Newtown ahead by two.

The New Canaan bats came alive in the next two innings as they took the lead 4-3 while the Newtown hitters were being perplexed by a new pitcher who featured a dazzling curve ball. In fact, the offense-laden Bombers were held to only one hit – a single by Joe Davis in the fourth inning – until the dramatic top of the sixth.

Clinging to that 4-3 lead, New Canaan’s closer now had to face the meat of Newtown’s order in the top of the sixth and he was successful with the first two hitters as they both flied out to put New Canaan within one out of the championship.

The Bomber’s last chance now rested on the shoulders of Wilcox, who calmly strode to the plate and looked for a pitch he could drive. After falling behind 0-2, he connected on a belt high fastball and sent a towering drive to deep center that easily cleared the fence and tied the game at four runs apiece, electrifying the Newtown team and their fans.

The New Canaan pitcher got the next batter and the game now moved to the bottom of the sixth where reliever Dan Poeltl calmly recorded three outs after a runner reached on an error to start the frame.

Newtown scratched out a run in the top of the eighth as Poeltl reached on a fielder’s choice and came around to score on a double by Braun but the never-say-die New Canaan squad matched the run in their half of the inning however, sending the game to yet another extra frame.

Newtown finally got the bats going again in the top of the ninth, plating three runs. Sandler walked and scored on an RBI single by Allwein; Schmidt walked with the bases full to score another run; and the third run was driven in by Poeltl to give the Bombers an 8-5 lead.

New Canaan wasn’t ready to call it a day, however, and quickly got runners on first and third with no outs in the bottom of the ninth off of Sposta, who was called back to the mound to close out the game. The next batter hit a deep drive to center that was hauled in by Kelley, who promptly threw a 185-foot strike to catcher Sandler, erasing the runner trying to score form third, completing the double play and taking the steam out of New Canaan’s rally.

Sposta recorded the final out and the Bombers celebrated their hard fought win in a truly memorable final game.

In the first game of the tourney, Newtown faced a tough Brookfield team that forced the Bombers to extra innings before the locals exploded for five runs in the top of the seventh, highlighted by Schmidt’s first career home run … a long, high drive over the center field fence that ignited the late inning rally.

Newtown didn’t get on the board in this game until the third inning. Poeltl (single) and Kelley (double) put runners at first and second and Braun then drove in Poeltl with a sac fly and Wilcox plated Kelley with a single.

After Schmidt’s homer in the top of the seventh, Poeltl and Kelley then singled, Braun doubled for two runs and Wilcox stroked a double for another. Joe Davis plated the final run and the Bombers now led 7-2.

Poeltl notched the win by shutting down Brookfield in the bottom of the seventh with his third inning of scoreless relief. Jon Hull and Sposta pitched four effective innings to start the game, allowing only two runs and striking out three on a beautiful mix of fast balls and changeups. Hull also made a spectacular sliding catch in left on a shallow fly ball that saved a run.

The Bombers faced New Canaan in game two and after being given a steady diet of fastballs, quickly ran up the score and ended the contest 12-2 in the fifth inning via the mercy rule. David Gerics drove in three runs in the game.

Against Southbury in Game #3, the Bombers once again started slow, but finished strong, ending this one after four innings, 11-1. Kelley and Gerics pitched four strong innings, yielding only one run and striking out six while walking none, and were aided by a slick 6-4-3 double play by Poeltl, Hull and Demers in the first inning. Kelley hit a pair of doubles and Sandler added a double to power the Newtown offense.

The Bombers will next play in the Leonard Tournament in Bethel starting June 17.