Newtown High School’s softball team has found a variety of ways to win this spring. In a May 5 home clash under the lights at Treadwell Park, the Nighthawks put together their best overall offensive performance, and perhaps their best pitching effort, this spring. The Hawks blanked New Milford 8-0.

Sure, the Nighthawks have put up more than 20 runs three times and scored 18 in another, but when you consider the level of competition — NHS posted the second-most runs against New Milford all season — this game is all the more satisfying for Coach Joanna Closs and company.

The Nighthawks racked up ten hits from up and down the lineup with six players contributing to the cause, including a 3-for-3 effort from No. 8 hitter Noelle Marrazzo.

“If we hit the ball like this we can hang with anybody,” Closs said. “We’re putting the ball in play. We’re not striking out and we’re hitting the ball hard — and we’re getting contributions from everybody.”

That includes the pitcher. Sydney Adolfson helped her own cause with a clutch bases-load, bases-clearing triple as Newtown broke the ice and broke things open with a five-run third inning. NHS added a three-spot in the sixth.

Leadoff batter Julia Berry had a hit, walk, and two runs scored. No. 2 hitter Madison Thoesen had two hits, including a double, three runs batted in, and two runs scored. Bri Pellicone, out of the three hole, had a two-run triple, walked, and scored twice. Cleanup hitter Maddy Twitchell, back for her first game since being injured in mid-April, had a pair of hits and run scored.

Thoesen, a freshman, came through with a two-run double to right center field that got the scoring started. After a hit by Twitchell and walk to Pellicone jammed the bases, sixth-place hitter Adolfson emptied them with a swat to deep left.

“It felt really good. When I go up to bat I really just focus on getting the pitch I want to see,” Adolfson said.

That pitch, in this instance, was down the middle, she added.

In the sixth, Thoesen went the opposite way again, this time for an RBI single, and Pellicone sprayed the ball to right-center for a two-run triple.

Closs considers this victory, as well as a 7-4 win over Immaculate of Danbury the game before, to be a good boost of confidence for the Hawks.

“Between the Immaculate game and this game it shows we can hit quality pitching hard,” the Nighthawk coach said.

Adolfson’s strong pitching has been there throughout the spring, and she was stellar against a strong New Milford lineup, allowing just three hits, no walks, and striking out 13. New Milford had scored in double digits eight times this spring.

The Green Wave used freshman lefty hurler Nea Plisko who threw hard but only mustered five strikeouts as the Hawks put the ball in play throughout the evening. NHS blanked New Milford 14-0 in a rematch on May 11. Read about the teams renewing acquaintances along with other upcoming key matchups in the May 20 print edition of The Bee.

Newtown’s offensive prowess showed again with another ten-hit effort in a 9-3 win at Notre Dame-Fairfield on May 9. Newtown jumped out to a 2-0 lead and held a 2-1 edge in the fifth before putting up three runs. The Lancers were within 5-3 in the seventh before a four-spot by the Hawks put things out of reach. The Lancers committed four errors and three unearned runs; NHS committed just one error.

Pellicone homered and doubled, drove in three, and scored three times. Adolfson had two hits, two RBI, and a run scored. Thoesen doubled and scored a run, and Twitchell doubled and drove one home.

Adolfson allowed six hits and three earned runs. She did not walk a batter and fanned ten.

The Hawks visit Brookfield in a makeup clash on Friday, May 13, on the road at 4 pm, and host Masuk of Monroe on Monday, May 16, at Treadwell Park; first pitch at 6 pm.

Sports Editor Andy Hutchison can be reached at andyh@thebee.com.