By Kim J. Harmon

BETHEL – There used to be a time when a trip to Bethel would offer some bleak prospects for the Newtown High School softball team. But not now – not with Lisa Morgan on the mound.

Less than a week after firing a no-hitter against Notre Dame, the sophomore pitcher flung a two-hit shutout against Bethel and helped the ever more impressive Nighthawks improve to 6-1 overall, 5-1 in the South-West Conference.

Morgan (6-0, 0.60 ERA) whiffed nine batters, allowed just the two hits (one a bloop to rightfield and the other a solidly-struck ball through the hole at shortstop) and walked none as the ‘Hawks blanked the Lady Wildcats, 6-0.

Morgan was masterful, too, fanning the first six batters she faced (two of those looking). With one out in the bottom of the third, Mandy Flachshart broke up the no-hit bid with a bloop single to rightfield. Morgan then set the next 10 batters down (only one by a strikeout) before Katie Visconti rapped a hard single in the top of the sixth. She closed out the sixth and, because Ferris was charged with an error on a dropped third strike, had to get four outs in the seventh inning to shut Bethel down.

And while Morgan was shutting the Bethel offense down, Rachel Ragusa was pretty much doing the same to the Newtown offense. Between the third and fourth innings, with the score tied 0-0, head coach Jay Edwards fretted about the tenseness of the situation – realizing, of course, it wouldn’t have been so tense had Christina Wolf’s first inning double had amounted to anything or if Nicole Mangarella’s line shot to centerfield in the second inning had found an empty spot in the outfield.

But the Newtown offense – and coach Edwards – soon loosened up.

In the top of the fifth, Trina Ramsdell (2-for-4) led off with a single and promptly stole second base. With one out, Erin Murdoch (1-for-3) slapped a run-scoring single to put the Nighthawks ahead, 1-0. Ashley Ferris (2-for-4) followed with a run-scoring single of her own to help the ‘Hawks pad the lead to 2-0.

In the top of the seventh, the ‘Hawks exploded for four runs. Ramsdell led off with a single and then scored – along with Wolf – when the Bethel centerfielder misplayed a flyball. Ferris singled and scored on a single by Caitlyn Elf (3-for-4).

Newtown collected 10 hits on the afternoon.

It was a bit more convincing than the win over Immaculate last Friday. Taking advantage of five errors, the ‘Hawks made good use of the four hits they were allowed to put six runs across the plate. Murdoch had two of those, one a run-scoring double in the bottom of the fifth.

And Morgan, who no-hit Notre Dame just two days before, scattered seven hits while striking out just four.

The ‘Hawks hosted Joel Barlow on Wednesday and will host Masuk on Friday. A trip to Brookfield will follow on Monday.

The ‘Hawks will then return home on Wednesday and Thursday, May 7 and 8, for games against Bunnell and Trumbull.