Middle School Hardball Update

Newtown Middle School’s baseball team had a win and a loss in games this past week. Highlights are as follows:

Newtown 10, Schaghticoke of New Milford 5: Under deep blue skies in the foothills of the Berkshires,  the Newtown Middle School baseball team launched its 2010 season with a 10-5 win at New Milford on May 5.

The Lions, coached by Jim Ross, jumped to an early lead and withstood a late New Milford surge behind five sharp innings by starting pitcher Mike Davis (one run allowed) and two innings of solid relief by Eric Pisani. Keys to the win were the play of catcher Matt Sabia who kept errant pitches in front of him, and the flawless outfield play of Tom Floros, Greg Hennessey, and Matt Hoyt, who combined for more than half of the Lions’ putouts.

The Newtown offense was powered by Hoyt, Austin Raftery, and Virgil Proccacini — all of whom had a pair of hits — and Davis’ three-hit game, highlighted by a scorched hit-and-run liner to left. Sabia’s 300-foot double to left covered the most ground, but plugged in the lush New Milford turf.

Memorial of Middlebury 7, Newtown 2: Ryan Pisani’s five innings of dazzling relief pitching weren’t enough as  Newtown Middle School fell at home on may 6.

Taking to the mound with his team down by five in the third inning, Pisani kept the hard-hitting opponents off balance as catcher Austin Raftery called for a baffling mix of offspeed pitches and low fastballs.

Newtown’s batters, meanwhile, couldn’t string enough hits together. Mike Davis, Connor Noonan,  Raftery, and Matt Sabia drove solid hits into the outfield for the locals.

For the second straight game, the Lions’ outfielders came up big, and second sacker Grant Ricketts turned in the play of the game on a bounding ball up the middle. A close second was Pisani’s adroitly executed quick-pitch on an attempted straight-steal of home which resulted in an out.