Jason Hebner has an array of pitches: four- and two-seam fastballs, a cutter, slider, knuckle curve, and curve ball. Talk about a pitching arsenal to keep the batters guessing.

In an April 12 contest under a steady rain, Hebner - Newtown's left-handed ace - and the Nighthawks whitewashed the visiting Notre Dame-Fairfield Lancers 4-0. Hebner allowed just two hits, both singles, and scattered five walks. He struck out nine batters.

"He's our ace. That's what you want your ace to do," Newtown Coach Ian Thoesen said.

"It was a bit of a struggle early on," said Hebner, adding that trust in his defense allowed him to focus on the batters and sharpen as the game unfolded. "I was able to get the slider to work later in the game, and work the two-seam in."

The effort by Hebner allowed the Hawks to avenge a shutout defeat in its previous game, a 5-0 defeat to Pomperaug of Southbury two days earlier, with a blanking of their own. This was Newtown's first game that counts in the South-West Conference standings, giving the squad a nice start to its conference play.

Rob Lombardo tripled and scored a run, Eugene Citrano doubled for one of his three hits, and drove in a run, Ben Harrison had a hit and an RBI, and Rob Murray had a hit and a run scored.

The Nighthawks carried an overall record of 5-3 into a Saturday, April 22 visit to New Milford, beginning at 11 am; this contest was originally scheduled for a day earlier but postponed by rain.