Another dominant showing for Newtown High School’s softball team proved to be a telling one for a squad not often tested but in unfamiliar territory.

The Nighthawks bounced back from their first loss, a 9-6 setback at Immaculate of Danbury on May 9, with a 7-0 win over New Milford at Treadwell Park the next night, Senior Night.

Newtown Coach Joanna Closs believes having endured a setback is not the worst thing for her team members who no longer have to worry about win-loss perfection, and is pleased with how the girls rebounded in their next opportunity.

“I definitely think the pressure’s off. I was always curious to see what would happen if they had that loss. They responded very, very well,” Closs said after the win over the New Milford Green Wave, which came into the contest with 13 wins. “Every time we hit the ball we hit it hard.”

A two-run single to right by Julia Berry got the scoring started in the second inning. Pitcher Sydney Adolfson added a run-scoring single in the third. In the fourth, Rachel Casagrande tripled to left center and scored on a fielder’s choice bunt by Berry for a 4-0 lead; Maddie Thoesen followed with an RBI single to make it 5-0. The Nighthawks added two more runs in the sixth — one on a wild pitch and the other on another Thoesen single. Berry finished 4-for-4. Seniors Adolfson and Caroline Gardner were honored.

Adolfson was in control from the pitcher’s circle as always. She recorded 16 strikeouts and had a perfect game going into the seventh. After fanning the first batter of the final frame, a bunt single broke things up for Adolfson very late in the game for the second time this spring. An error followed, but Adolfson was unfazed and struck out the last two batters.

The Nighthawks hosted Woodland Regional High of Beacon Falls in a nonconference game on May 16 and fell 3-2.

Newtown looked to bounce back yet again with another tough test. NHS visited Masuk of Monroe on Wednesday, May 17, and did the job with an 8-2 win (read more about this game in the May 26 print edition of The Bee). Masuk, the five-time South-West Conference champions, came into the contest unbeaten in SWC play, including a 2-1 win over New Milford — an extra inning contest that went nine frames. Newtown had not beaten Masuk since 2017.

The Hawks, after concluding the regular season at Stratford on Thursday, move on to the SWC Tournament where they will look to win it all for the first time since 2016. NHS will host New Fairfield in the quarterfinals on Friday, May 19, at 4 pm.

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