Newtown High School's softball team extended its winning streak to six games with a pair of lopsided triumphs at home - a 12-1 victory over New Milford on April 26 and a 13-1 rout of Immaculate of Danbury two days later - then dropped a 2-1 nail-biter at Joel Barlow of Redding on April 30. Newtown got back on the winning track with a 5-0 blanking of visiting Bethel on May 1.The Bee for details.

The Nighthawks improved to 9-4 overall and 5-1 in South-West Conference play.

Pitcher Sara Kennedy allowed just two hits, walked none, and struck out 12 Bethel batters. Kennedy also did damage at the plate, belting a pair of RBI doubles. Kaysie Fisher had two hits, including a home run to center field. Tess Mubarek had an RBI double and Shannon Cheh smacked a run-scoring single.

Kennedy allowed only five hits and struck out 11 batters but was victimized by a pair of errors as the Nighthawks lost to the Barlow Falcons for the second time this spring. The first meeting counts only in the state standings and the most recent clash counts in conference results.

"Anytime you can notch two wins in a season off a pitcher the caliber of Sara Kennedy you're going to be proud of that just because she's so hard to compete against," said Barlow Coach Craig Sears, who coached Kennedy and other Nighthawks when they played youth softball, and is a former coach in the NHS program as well. "We got the timely stuff. We put the ball in play."

Barlow leadoff hitter and speedster Abby Ota helped manufacture both Falcon runs. She put down a bunt and reached on an error in the first inning, before stealing second base, moving to third on passed ball, and scoring on a ground out. Ota bunted for a hit with two outs in the third, and came all the way around from first on a single by Sabrina Lalor when the ball was bobbled in the outfield.

Trailing 2-0, the Nighthawks scratched out a run in the fifth. Fisher struck out but reached first when a pitch got away. Two groundouts later, Kendra Saunders drove in pinch runner Sienna Cummings on a smash that Barlow third baseman Taylor Macchia knocked down.

Newtown's only other hit was a single off the bat of Heather Stroili.

The Nighthawks made a little noise in the sixth and seventh innings. In the sixth, Mubarek worked the count full and fouled off three pitches before walking with one out. Kennedy then hit a drive to left that Barlow outfielder Theresa Galban tracked down. Cheh followed with a hard comebacker that pitcher Caitlin Colangelo fielded before throwing to first to end the inning.

In the seventh, Fisher hit a long fly ball to left that Galban gloved for the first out when the ball seemed to get pulled down by the wind.

"You've got to score to win," Newtown Coach Joanna Closs said. "Barlow is a great team. I don't want to take anything away from them. We've just got to hit a little more."

Against Immaculate, the Nighthawks found themselves in a battle before putting their hitting shoes on plating a dozen runs in the fifth inning to run-rule the Mustangs.

Jackie Moccio tripled, scored a run, and drove in two. Mubarek walked, singled twice, scored a run, and drove in a run. Kennedy walked, tripled, scored twice, and drove in a run. Cheh walked three times. Angela Carriero had an RBI double, two singles, and three runs scored. Rachel O'Grady waked twice and scored two runs.

Fisher had a hit, two RBI, and two runs scored. Stroili singled, scored, and drove in a run. Cummings walked, singled, scored a run and drove in a run.

In the win over New Milford, Moccio had a hit, scored twice, and drove in two. Mubarek had two hits, scored a run, and had an RBI. Kennedy doubled, walked twice, and scored a pair of runs. Cheh had a two-run single and two-run double. Ryssa Swanson added a hit and run scored. Saunders doubled, scored a run, and had an RBI.

Newtown kept up its winning ways with a 3-2 walkoff victory over visiting Brookfield on May 2. Check back online as well as in the May 11 print edition of