Newtown High School's softball team used patience at the plate — working six walks — and timely hits in back of stellar pitching by Addy Cordova to blank visiting Trumbull 5-0 on April 8. The way this game started, fans would never have guessed how it would turn out.

The first eight Nighthawk batters were retired via the strikeout, and when all was said and done the team had only a double and single but still managed to grab a victory — fairly lopsided at that — in a contest that, for three-plus innings, was thoroughly dominated by pitching on both sides. In the bottom of the fourth, leadoff hitter Cordova worked the count full before getting on base with an eight-pitch walk.

Lila Accousti followed with a walk of her own, first falling behind 0-2 in the count on a pair of foul bunt attempts to push the base runner into score position. Accousti fouled off several pitches before working the base on balls on ten offerings. A great grind-it-out at bat.

A pair of wild pitches moved the runners over and scored Cordova, giving the Hawks a 1-0 lead without the benefit of a hit. Gillian Boughan then walked, and Olivia Doersch followed with Newtown's first hit, a clutch two-run, crisply-hit double to left center, making it 3-0.

In the last of the fifth, the Hawks put together a two-out walk and wild pitch rally as Cordova reached on another 3-2 count walk, this time an eight-pitch standoff; Accousti followed with her second walk in as many at bats as well, and Reagan Schenzer also walked to load the bases. Trumbull changed pitchers and another wild pitch scored Newtown's fourth run.

The Nighthawks plated another run in the sixth when Izzy Ligouri reached on a two-out, two-base error and Emma Clyne drilled a pinch-hit RBI single up the middle.

Newtown's defense played well, with right fielder Evelynn Schoen throwing out a Trumbull player attempting to stretch a single into a double in the top of the second inning. The Eagles already had a hit in the frame and ended up leaving a runner stranded at third.

Cordova worked around a one-out double in the fourth with a ground out and fly out. She did not surrender a hit the rest of the way — allowing three in the game — striking out seven without issuing a walk. Once the offense broke through and got those runs, Cordova was in total shutdown mode.

"It's a lot easier to pitch with runs," Cordova said. "We realized we weren't swinging at good pitches and if we made her work it would help a lot."

"We were swinging at a lot of high pitches and we were defensive," NHS Coach Megan Goyda said. "I think the second time through they knew what they were looking for and knew the junk to lay off of. When we made their pitcher actually work we used that to our advantage."

It was a collective effort with contributions from throughout the batting order.

"Everybody did something, whether they walked or put balls in play, had an RBI, or came off the bench," Goyda noted.

That game-changing three-run rally in the fourth was made possible, in large part, by Accousti going from sacrifice to survival mode during an at bat that began with a pair of strikes before she won the battle. Accousti said of her approach at the plate, "Just watch the ball and make contact, choking up and being ready for any pitch to come."

The entire team has gained confidence from early-season wins over challenging FCIAC foes, including an 11-5 win over Fairfield Warde to begin the spring, and Cordova is being tested from the get-go, something Goyda hopes will pay dividends later in the season and come playoff time.

"She's seeing the best of the best first," the coach said.

Newtown visited South-West Conference opponent Weston on April 11 and won 18-4 in a five-inning, mercy-rule outcome. NHS scored two in the first, five in the second, and broke the game wide open with nine in the fourth. The Hawks banged out 20 hits with Cordova, Adriana Miodanka, and Gabby Ansman all smacking doubles, and Elena Burdo and Ansman each picking up a triple. Ansman had three hits and five runs batted in to lead the offense. Doersch, Boughan, Miodanka, and Mia Napolitano all knocked in a pair of runs. Napolitano pitched, allowing three earned runs on nine hits, striking out three, and walking two.

NHS hosted FCIAC foe St Joseph of Trumbull, another good test for Cordova and company, and prevailed 4-2 on April 14, improving to 4-0 this spring. The game was even at 2-2 in the sixth inning when the Nighthawks plated two runs. Doersch scored on a wild pitch, and B.B. Diorio doubled home Boughan. Accousti and Schoen homered earlier in the game as the Hawks took a 2-0 lead into the fifth before the Cadets scored twice. Cordova scattered seven hits, walked three, and struck out six.

Sports Editor Andy Hutchison can be reached at andyh@thebee.com.