Lightning Strikes For Victory

By ANDY HUTCHISON

Published: Apr 22, 2011 12:00 am

The Newtown Lightning baseball team slugged past Amity 7-6 in the season opener at Newtown Middle School on April 16.

One strike away from defeat, Newtownâs first 19U spring baseball team bounced back with two runs to complete a comeback against a powerful Amity team.

Trailing 6-5 in the last inning, Nick Heron walked and advanced to third on two wild pitches.Â Nicky Sajovic walked and stole second before two Newtown batters struck out. Will Arndt fouled off a pitch on a 1-2 count. Amityâs pitcher then uncorked a wild pitch, and Heron slid home with the tying run.

Â In an attempt to catch the Newtown runner at the plate, Amity committed an error and the ball bounced past the pitcher who retrieved it. Sajovic, though, never broke stride rounding third and slid across home plate with the winning run ahead of the catcherâs tag.

The Newtown team, sponsored by VFW Post 308 and a member of the new I-84/Connecticut Senior Baseball League, is playing at the Middle School Field until construction is complete at its home field at Fairfield Hills.

Â Amity jumped out to a 4-0 first-inning lead behind three long doubles before Arndt, Newtownâs pitcher, settled down. Arndt blanked Amity during the next two innings, and Newtown crept back into the game.

Newtown scored a first-inning run when Arndt and Eric Sutton drilled singles to right center, moved up on a passed ball and Curtis Droniak drove in Arndt on an infield grounder. Droniak pitched three shutout innings in the fourth through sixth innings to keep the game close.

Newtown scored a run in the third inning when Sajovic walked, moved to third on two wild pitches and stole the plate on the front end of a double steal after Ryan OâKeefe was tagged out trying to steal second.

In the sixth inning, Newtown scored three runs to take a 5-4 lead. OâKeefe and Arndt walked, Sutton reached on an error and John Lebinski lofted an RBI single to left. Droniak knocked in a run on a fielderâs choice, Brandon Cooper singled, and James Rebman smacked a sharp ground ball that was booted by the shortstop to bring in the go-ahead run.

Â Amity scored twice in the top of the seventh to take a 6-5 lead and may have scored more if Newtown second baseman Heron hadnât made a leaping catch to snare a sizzling line drive with the bases loaded.

Â Cooper caught a solid game for the Lightning, throwing out a runner trying to steal third and also stroking a second-inning double. First baseman Ben Stoller and leftfielders OâKeefe and Alex Saviano also made several fine defensive plays for Newtown, which committed only one error.

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It seems a lot of the discussion around the flagpole focuses on vilifying drivers who pass on the right, but the real issue is being overlooked. If Chapter 248 Section 14-251 were enforced, we wouldn’t see this problem to begin with. That statute prohibits stopping in the middle of a roadway to yield to cross traffic—as so often happens with cars waiting to turn from Church Hill. When vehicles stop illegally in the travel lane, they effectively create a blockage. Other drivers then either sit through unnecessary delays or carefully pass around them on the right, which is fully permitted when the vehicle ahead is “illegally parked” in the roadway. Instead of punishing drivers reacting to the obstruction, enforcement should focus on the cause: vehicles unlawfully stopping and backing up traffic in the first place. If that behavior were addressed, the need to “go around” would largely disappear.

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John, you raise an important point — these situations are tragic, complicated, and often far less clear-cut than the headlines make them seem. In the Fredericksburg case, the full facts still aren’t publicly known, and like so many of these stories, there’s conflicting information. It was apparently the back door at 3 a.m. — was it justified to use deadly force? We don’t know yet. What we do know is that the homeowner has been charged, and as you rightly noted, that is very serious. But this is also where perspective matters. These cases are quickly sensationalized in the news and on social media, yet when the dust settles, the outcomes are rarely publicized. People forget that in our system, you are innocent until proven guilty. Try to find much coverage of the convication in the case of the Fairfield Realtor vehicle homicide, or updates on the woman who shot her husband a couple of Christmases ago, or even the pedestrian death in Sandy Hook a year or so back. The follow-through simply isn’t there, and public opinion is often shaped only by the first round of headlines. At the end of the day, these situations remind us how split-second decisions in the middle of the night can change lives forever — which is exactly why the right to protect one’s property, home and family is so fiercely debated, and lucky constitutionally protected.

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First the low hanging fruit. Dave; it was a joke, please get over it. You are the only person in Newtown that thought I really wanted to build a stadium on 6 Commence Rd. Now on to Alex. You might not appreciate my writing style or my selection of words, but let's not loose sight of the fact that by responding to my letter in the manner that you did, you have removed any doubt whatsoever that you have no idea of the quantifiable benefits you are dismissing not only for the town, but also for protesters. Either you stopped listening at the word "ordinance" or you never started.. Your constitutional rights to assemble were never in question and would actually be strengthened and there would be literally no impediments. We could even title it "The Alex Villamil Ordinance" if you want. It could be your legacy and actually show Newtown your willingness to work in a bipartisan way for the betterment of the town. Businesses would be protected. Traffic wouldn't be interrupted. The town would save hundreds of thousands of dollars in police overtime. And maybe most importantly, the town could prevent another tragedy while mitigating legal risk in the event something terrible happens at a protest. Nothing bad could never happen in Newtown right? All that could be accomplished by a simple, non-intrusive ordinance unless all the detriments to our town are intentional in order to bring more attention to your cause. Alex, this was not me throwing a temper tantrum. Believe me, you will know it if that happens. I am just putting Newtown first. From that perspective, if you think critically, the regulation is necessary. It makes sense logically, rationally, and is reasonable. There is absolutely no down side. None. I would be willing to sit down with you to see if we could come to some type of compromise if you want. Let me know. You would be amazed how much you can accomplish when there is dialogue amongst neighbors.

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A popular prank circulating on TikTok is “ding-dong-ditch” where a group of young people violently bang or kick someone’s door late at night and then “ditch” or run. On May 3 three high schoolers here in Fredericksburg Va. were participating in such a prank. One homeowner assumed, as in this case, an attempted break in and also took measures to defend his family and property. As the youths were running away he fired, striking an 18 year old graduating senior in the back killing him and seriously injuring a second youth. A wasted life, a family shattered, and the homeowner charged with murder.

You’re absolutely right — no one should ever feel unsafe in their own home. Being startled awake by violent banging at your door late at night is no joke, and it’s a stark reminder that danger can come without warning. That’s why I’m thankful for the right to protect ourselves, our families, and our property. In a moment like that, you don’t get a second chance to call for help before you act — you have to be prepared. Our homes should be a place of peace, not fear, and the ability to defend them is a right worth safeguarding.

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Lightning Strikes For Victory

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