Nighthawk Sluggers Get First Win
Nighthawk Sluggers Get First Win
By Andy Hutchison
Newtown High Schoolâs baseball team dropped its first two games, losing 4-1 to Ridgefield at home on April 5 and 6-4 to visiting Staples of Westport two days later â both games were against FCIAC teams. In their first clash with a South-West Conference opponent, the Nighthawks got into the win column by out-slugging Weston 11-7, on the road, on Monday.
Pitcher Kyle Wilcox went six innings and allowed only three runs on seven hits, and had seven strikeouts. Colton Sposta had a pair of strikeouts in relief. Wilcox helped his own cause with a strong day at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a pair of runs batted in.
Chris Tenney had a double and two runs scored, Justin DeVellis reached base every time at bat, had a hit, and scored a pair of runs. Mike Davis, Andy Kelley, and David Lucia all had doubles, and Kelley had a run batted in. Davis had an RBI and two runs scored. Mike Allwein, Evan Noonan, and Rich Sandler added hits.
âWe came out with a quality approach at the plate, being patient, getting good pitches to hit, and not trying to do too much with them, hitting the ball hard on a line the opposite way,â Newtown Coach Matt Memoli said. âKyle dominated from the start, working ahead of hitters and doing a great job of mixing his off-speed stuff with his fastball.â
In the loss to Staples, Newtown got great pitching from Davis and Brandon Marks. They combined to allow only five hits. Davis allowed three earned runs, and Marks allowed just one earned run. At the plate, DeVellis continued his hot hitting with a pair of hits, including a double, two RBI and a run scored. Wilcox added two hits, including a double, and Allwein had two hits and an RBI. Sandler belted a double, Tenney delivered a hit and scored two times, and Lucia added a single.
In the opener against Ridgefield, Marks threw 31/3 innings in relief, allowing only a run and a hit while striking out one.
The Nighthawks return to action when Bethel visits Newtown High this Friday, April 13, at 4:15 pm. Newtown also hosts Ansonia on Saturday with the first pitch at 3 pm.