NHS Softball—

Herring Perfect, And Hawks Work Extra Innings To Remain That Way

By Andy Hutchison

Emma Herring threw a perfect game in a 7-0 win at Notre Dame-Fairfield on the afternoon on April 29. Later that same night, Herring and the Newtown High School softball team hosted Holy Cross of Waterbury and prevailed 1-0 in extra innings to sweep a split doubleheader.

The Nighthawks, themselves, remained perfect (9-0 overall) to start the season after pulling out the nightcap in 10 innings under the lights at Treadwell Park.

In the opener, Herring struck out 14 of the 21 batters she faced and retired en route to her second win in as many decisions this spring. Third baseman Megan Gibbons made a nice play to field a ground ball and throw across to first base for the second out of the seventh inning and final inning. The next out, a catch by left fielder Ali Kennedy, sealed the perfect game for Herring and the Hawks.

“It felt good because my teammates came out and congratulated me,” said Herring, who was focused on the game and didn’t realize she hadn’t surrendered a hit or issued a walk until the final out was recorded.

Herring had her fastball, curve, changeup and rise pitches all working and she only went to three balls on one batter.

Newtown’s Rachael Ruiz, Colleen Cunningham, and Gibbons all hit triples in the win. Ruiz also had a double in her 3-for-3 performance at the plate. Monica Macchiarulo and Natalie Dunn both knocked in two runs to spark the offense.

In the second game of the day, pitcher Kate Bowen, who had tossed a no-hitter earlier this season, allowed only three hits and fanned 18 batters en route to her fourth consecutive shutout as she lowered her earned run average to .40.

The contest remained a scoreless deadlock until the Nighthawks scratched out a run in the bottom of the tenth inning without getting the ball out of the infield. Ruiz led off with a bunt single and scored the decisive run one batter —  and two errors — later. Dunn sacrificed Ruiz with a bunt and reached on a throwing error to first base. Ruiz raced to third and, on an errant throw to third, came all the way home to end the game.

Newtown maintained its winning ways with a 6-1 win over visiting Weston on April 30. Bowen had 11 strikeouts, surrendered only two hits, and just an unearned run as her earned run average dropped to .36.

Macchiarulo, the team’s leadoff hitter, jumpstarted the offense with a 3-for-3 performance at the plate. She had a triple and knocked in two runs. Mady Hauck sparked a four-run inning with a leadoff single. Cunningham was 2-for-2 with a double and a pair of runs batted in, Ally Modzelewski had a double, and Gibbons added two hits as Newtown improved to 10-0 (6-0 in South-West Conference games).

The Nighthawks were scheduled to play Cromwell on Tuesday but the game was postponed because of rain and thunderstorms. Newtown was slated to host Joel Barlow on Wednesday (after The Bee sports section went to press). The Hawks will host Kolbe Cathedral on Friday, May 7 at 3:45 pm at Treadwell Park.