By Kim J. Harmon

BETHEL – Even though its chances of reaching the South-West Conference or CIAC Class LL state tournaments is becoming almost non-existent, the Newtown High School baseball team is not going down without a fight.

A 12-9 loss to Immaculate on Friday and a 4-3 loss in extra innings to Bethel on Monday night dropped the Nighthawks to 4-11 overall, 4-6 in the SWC.

The loss on Monday night was particularly discouraging for the ‘Hawks, though, since they had the game all but won in the bottom of the seventh inning. But with a runner on third and two outs, all it took was a dropped ball – on what would have been the final out – to allow the Wildcats to tie the game and send it into extra innings.

Bill Burke scored the winner for Bethel in the bottom of the ninth.

“It’s tough to be beating some of the best teams in the state for five or six innings and then lose in the scorebook,” said head coach John Larkins. “It’s tough.”

That’s pretty much what happened last Friday, too, when the ‘Hawks fell to Immaculate. The Mustangs exploded for 10 runs in the first inning of that game but were then held fairly silent by the strong relief pitching of Keith Neidig.

Newtown rallied, but fell short.

The Mustangs jumped ugly with the Nighthawks in the top of the first, scoring those 10 runs with the aid of two errors. Only five of the runs were earned, but that would be of no consolation to starting pitcher Kevin Carolan.

As Neidig came on in relief in the second inning and held Immaculate at bay, Newtown had a chance to mount its rally. Down 11-1 in the bottom of the third, the ‘Hawks put six runs up on the board to trim the lead to just 11-7.

Nick Savino tripled to start the inning and later Collin Anderson rapped a run-scoring single. A two-run single by Dave Roodhuyzen preceded a three-run home run by Dan Murphy.

The Mustangs scored a run in the top of the seventh and then the ‘Hawks came back with two in the bottom of the frame on a home run by Matt McCarthy and RBI single by Murphy.

But that would be it. Immaculate would hold on to the win to raise its record to 9-3 overall, 6-3 in the SWC. McCarthy and Anderson had three hits apiece for Newtown, while Murphy had two and John Pantan, Burkhart, Roodhuyzen, Savino and Carolan had one each.

While that game was about offense (22 total hits), the game on Monday night between Newtown and Bethel was about pitching – a duel between the Nighthawks’ Greg Burkhart and the Wildcats’ Scott Schafer.

Burkhart put together a 138-pitch effort, whiffing 10 batters, but he missed a chance to record a critical win when, with two outs, his throw to first base in the bottom of the seventh was dropped.

The Nighthawks had taken a 2-0 lead in the top of the first after Carolan singled, Savino walked, and Anderson stroked a two-out, two-run double. The Wildcats scored once in the bottom of the frame, though, on a passed ball.

In the top of the fifth, Rob Weiss rapped a two-out single and reached third on a single by McCarthy. He then stole home to give the ‘Hawks a 3-1 lead. In the bottom of the frame, a two-out single by Greg Minor, a single by Ryan DeRubertis and an RBI single by Schafer got the Wildcats back within one, 3-2.

The “Cats tied the score in the bottom of the seventh and went on to win in the bottom of the ninth when Bill Burke scored from second on an infield single by Schafer.

Bethel raised its record to 9-4 overall, 7-4 in the SWC.

For Newtown, Carolan and Savino (two doubles) collected two hits apiece while Weiss, McCarthy, Anderson (double), Murphy and Burkhart all had one hit apiece.

The ‘Hawks hosted Joel Barlow on Wednesday (after press time) and will travel to Masuk on Friday before returning home on Monday to square off against Foran. Games against Weston on Wednesday and Kolbe-Cathedral on Thursday will wrap up the regular season.