Nighthawk Sluggers Can’t Overcome Pomperaug

By Andy Hutchison

Newtown High School’s baseball team entered into the South-West Conference Tournament as the eighth seed and faced the task of trying to upset top-seeded Pomperaug of Southbury in the quarterfinals on May 24. The Nighthawks fell short, 6-4, in a seesaw contest and will now await the start of state tournament play next week.

Pomperaug, which Newtown Coach Matt Memoli noted has been ranked the top team in the state multiple times this spring, lost to only two teams in the regular season — falling once to the Nighthawks and twice to Bethel. Newtown blanked Pomperaug 4-0 on May 5 and dropped a 5-2 decision in the May 20 regular-season finale.

“We just didn’t have that special effort that we needed to compete with a team like that,” said Memoli, adding that his team played well, but that everyone had to be at the top of his game to pull through, and three errors proved costly.

The teams traded runs in the early innings and the game was even 4-4 in the third when Pomperaug threatened to go in front. Newtown pitcher RJ Roman relieved Kyle Wilcox and entered the game with the bases loaded and one out in the third. Roman escaped the jam to persevere the tie — for the time being. “It was an incredible effort by him,” Memoli said of Roman. The coach added that Wilcox gave it his all, but that the Pomperaug hitters zoned in on his fastball and proved to be too tough on this day.

Roman went three-plus innings in relief but, ultimately, took the loss as the Panthers scratched out a pair of late runs.

Evan Noonan, who had three hits, and Bryan Czel led the offense for Newtown, which went ahead in each of the first three frames. “It was a back-and-forth battle,” Memoli said.

The Nighthawks won 12 regular season games and are on the cusp of earning a first-round Class LL state tournament game or having to start on the road. The seedings and pairings are scheduled to be announced this week, with qualifying and first round games getting underway May 28 and 31.