The Newtown High School baseball team won its second and third straight games, following up Jamie Piccuillo's no-hit 2-0 win over Pomperaug of Southbury on April 27 with a 6-2 victory over visiting Bunnell of Stratford two days later and a 2-0 blanking of host Brookfield in a rescheduled contest on May 2. The Nighthawks then bounced back from a 10-6 loss to New Fairfield on May 4 with a thrilling 7-6 win over visiting Notre Dame Prep of Fairfield the next night. Newtown improved to 7-7 overall.

Against Bunnell, the Nighthawks broke open a close game late. Newtown jumped out to a quick lead, stringing together four hits in the bottom of the first inning. Travis Rekos led off with a line-drive double to the left-center gap and moved to third on a Bunnell error. Chris Moseman followed with an RBI single and, after Kieran Garrity drew a walk and Jack Carta reached on an infield single, Ryan Schmidt added another RBI knock up the middle to plate Moseman. The Nighthawks threatened for more but left the bases loaded.

Bunnell answered in the top of the fourth, using a walk and two singles to tie the game at 2-2. The Nighthawks regained the lead in the fifth with aggressive baserunning and capitalized on another Bulldog miscue. Moseman singled with two outs, and pinch runner Oscar Nordt promptly stole second. On a pickoff attempt to second base, the throw from the catcher sailed into center field, allowing Nordt to advance to third and continue home to score, putting Newtown ahead 3-2. Garrity also drew his second walk of the game during the rally.

Newtown added breathing room in the sixth. Jack Carta led off with a double down the left field line, and Sean Caron entered as a pinch runner. Pete Eppers drew a walk, and Schmidt’s sacrifice bunt attempt turned into a perfectly placed single to load the bases. JT Walsh delivered the big hit with a two-run single. Later in the inning, Schmidt came home on a balk to extend the lead to 6-2.

Newtown collected nine hits. Walsh led the way with two RBIs, and Schmidt and Moseman each drove in one run. Carta, Schmidt, and Moseman all had two-hit games.

On the mound, Trevor Stott earned the win, allowing two runs on six hits over five innings while striking out five and walking two. Jacob Buckley secured the save with two strong innings of relief, giving up just one hit and no runs.

The Nighthawks played error-free ball in the field. Rekos highlighted the effort with a diving catch in center field in the first inning, and Carta shined at first base, making three consecutive tough picks to support Buckley in the sixth inning.

Garrity delivered a dominant performance on the mound Saturday, tossing a complete-game shutout to lead the Newtown Nighthawks past the Brookfield Varsity Bobcats, 2-0, in a game rescheduled by an April 30 rain out.

Garrity was in control from the start, allowing just two hits while walking one and striking out five. He kept Brookfield off balance all afternoon, working efficiently and shutting down any scoring threats.

The Nighthawks broke through in the fifth inning. Walsh sparked the rally with a single and quickly moved into scoring position by stealing second. With two outs, Rekos came through in the clutch, lining a double that brought Walsh home for a 1-0 lead.

Newtown added an insurance run in the top of the seventh. Luke Libero drew a walk and stole second before advancing to third on a groundout by Rekos. Moseman followed with a single to center field, scoring Libero.

Garrity had two hits, a single and a double. Rekos, Moseman, Lucian Place, Walsh, and Libero each contributed a hit. The Nighthawks were also aggressive on the basepaths, swiping four bases — two by Libero, and one each from Walsh and Sean Caron.

A late push wasn’t enough to overcome an early deficit in the 10-6 loss to New Fairfield. Despite a big day from Travis Rekos, who hit a three-run homer, Newtown found itself chasing the game after New Fairfield built a commanding lead. The Rebels scored twice in the second inning, added two more in the third, and broke things open with a six-run fifth to go ahead 9-0.

Newtown answered in the bottom of the fifth. Caron got things started after being hit by a pitch, and Schmidt followed with a single to left to move Caron to third. Rekos then reached on an error, allowing Caron to score while Schmidt advanced to third. A wild pitch brought Schmidt home, and Moseman grounded out to plate Rekos, trimming the deficit to 9-3.

The Nighthawks continued to chip away in the sixth inning. Walsh drew a walk and Libero singled to set the table for Rekos, who launched a three-run homer to left field to pull Newtown within 9-6. New Fairfield added an insurance run in the seventh inning.

Stott started for Newtown, allowing five runs (four earned) on six hits over four innings while striking out five and walking two. Carta and Walsh provided relief out of the bullpen.

The Nighthawks entertained Notre Dame at Fairfield Hills and came from behind for a 7-6 win on May 5. Rekos went 4-for-4 to spark the offense; he singled in each of his four at bats, setting the tone for a Nighthawks offense that erased an early deficit and held on late.

Newtown found itself in an immediate hole after the Lancers jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the top of the first inning. The Nighthawks answered quickly in the bottom half. Rekos and Moseman opened with singles, and Garrity followed with an RBI single to get Newtown on the board. After Carta was hit by a pitch to load the bases, Eppers lifted a sacrifice fly to score Moseman and cut the deficit to 4-2.

The Nighthawks surged ahead in the second inning. Rekos sparked the rally again with his second hit and Garrity doubled to put two runners in scoring position. Place delivered an RBI double, and Carta followed with a two-run single to give Newtown a 5-4 lead.

The Hawks added a run in the fourth. Moseman and Garrity drew walks, and Place was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Eppers then worked a walk to force in a run, making it 6-4. The eventual game-winning run came in the sixth. Moseman was hit by a pitch and advanced to third on a fielder’s choice by Cam Kullgren. Place brought him home with a sacrifice fly to extend the lead to 7-4.

Notre Dame Prep made things interesting in the seventh, scoring two runs and putting the tying run on third with two outs. But Carta, who came on in relief, ended the game by inducing a foul tip that was secured by catcher Schmidt.

Piccuillo earned the win for Newtown, allowing six hits and five runs over six innings while striking out seven and walking four. The Nighthawks finished with nine hits. Place, Carta, and Eppers each drove in two runs, and Garrity added two hits and an RBI. Newtown turned two double plays to help preserve the win.