Hard-Hitting Newtown High Softball Team Carries Winning Streak Into Tough Stretch

By Andy Hutchison

Newtown High School’s softball team carried a five-game winning streak into the middle of this week. The Nighthawks, following wins over Bethel and Brookfield the week before, toppled Kolbe Cathedral 18-2 on April 20, blanked Notre Dame-Fairfield 3-0 the next day, and escaped with an 8-6 win at Weston on April 25 improved to 5-3 overall (5-0 in South-West Conference play).

Following Wednesday’s scheduled game against 3-5 Oxford (after The Bee sports section went to press), the Hawks faced an apparent tough stretch of games — against St Joseph of Trumbull, an FCIAC team that won last year’s Class M state title, 6-2 Joel Barlow of Redding and, following a clash with Immaculate in Danbury, a rematch with Pomperaug of Southbury, which beat Newtown 3-1 early this season.

The Nighthawks are hoping to continue their recent winning ways, which has been highlighted by a strong offensive assault on the ball.

In the win over Kolbe, at Seaside Park in Bridgeport, Monica Macchiarulo was 4-for-5, with one of the team’s four triples, two of Newtown’s five doubles, and four runs scored. Newtown pounded out 21 hits in this mercy-rule, shortened five-inning affair.

Kayla O’Grady and Jess Gibbons both had 2-for-3 performances. O’Grady knocked in a pair of runs, and Gibbons doubled. Megan Gibbons was 3-for-4 with a triple and three runs batted in; Natalie Dunn was 3-for-3, including a triple, and two RBIs; and Danielle Shine was 2-for-4 with a triple, three RBIs, and three runs scored.

Colleen Cunningham contributed both at the plate and in the pitcher’s circle, going 2-for-4 with a pair of runs batted in and three runs scored, in addition to striking out seven batters in her pitching effort.

Newtown found itself in a tighter battle with visiting Notre Dame at Treadwell Park. Pitcher Emma Herring scattered six hits for the win. Cunningham knocked in all three runs — delivering a two-run double in the fourth inning, and adding a sacrifice fly. Megan Gibbons was 2-for-3 with a double, triple, and two runs scored.

At Weston, the Nighthawks came from behind in the final inning for the second time this season, having done so at Bethel in week one. Newtown trailed 6-5 with three outs to go, but fought back for its fifth consecutive win. Megan Gibbons delivered a game-tying triple and scored the go-ahead run on a single by Dunn. Pinch runner Maddy Hauck entered the game and, on a throwing error, raced home with a head-first slide for an insurance run.

Herring escaped a two-on, two-out jam in the bottom of the seventh thanks to a nice play by catcher Jess Gibbons who retrieved the ball on a wild pitch and threw to Cunningham at third who tagged a Weston runner trying to advance, ending the wild game.

The Nighthawks had four batters with two hits apiece. O’Grady had two knocks and scored three runs, Jess Gibbons doubled twice and scored a pair of runs, Megan Gibbons doubled, tripled, drove in three, and crossed home plate twice, and Dunn had a couple of hits, two RBIs, and two runs scored,

Herring struck out nine batters and walked nine in the win. Newtown took a 2-0 first-inning lead and, after Weston tied the game in the third, reclaimed the advantage with three in the top of the fifth. Weston answered with four runs in the bottom of the fifth for a 6-5 lead, setting the stage for Newtown’s seventh-inning comeback.

Megan Gibbons leads the team with a .520 batting average, has eight RBIs, and nine runs scored; Jess Gibbons is hitting .400 with four RBIs and six runs scored; Colleen Cunningham is hitting over .400 and has driven in nine runs, and scored five; Dunn is also among the hitting leaders, and has driven in four and scored four times.