NHS Softball —

One Championship Dream Dashed But A New One Begins

By Andy Hutchison

After putting itself just four outs away from upsetting unbeaten Masuk High School in the South-West Conference softball championship game, only to see Masuk overcome a 1-0 deficit to win, Newtown High directed its attention to the state playoffs this week.

The Nighthawks were beaten 7-1 thanks to a late-game Masuk rally in the conference finale at Stratford’s DeLuca Field on Saturday afternoon. The final score is a deceptive one and the game, in some ways, served as a moral victory for the Hawks, their coach Bob Guererra said. Masuk was the top seed and NHS was the No. 2. The Nighthawks committed three errors in this game and a pop fly that was redirected by the wind dropped for a hit in the infield and gave Masuk the “extra out” it needed to piece together a four-run sixth inning that changed the face of the game.

Newtown scratched out a third-inning run against Masuk standout pitcher Rachele Fico and held the lead for much of the afternoon.

“I think it’s a moral victory. I think the kids played great,” Guererra said. “We were four outs away from beating that girl.”

That girl, Fico, tossed seven perfect games this spring — including one against Newtown in the regular season’s last game. The Nighthawks scored the first earned run Fico had allowed since last May. NHS loaded the bases on a hit batsman, infield single, and fielder’s choice. Katie Bowen hit a grounder to the shortstop and Rachel Ruiz, pinch running at third, narrowly beat the throw home for a 1-0 NHS lead. The Nighthawks, who at the time were enjoying a no-hit effort by pitcher Jenna Legros, celebrated almost as if they had won the game. This was, after all, a major breakthrough — and would have been for any team facing the unbeaten and rarely scored upon Fico. Joanna Barry just missed a bases-loaded double down the left field line before striking out to end the third. Newtown, though, held the lead and the prospects for the upset were looking more and more likely with each zero that was registered on the scoreboard.

“It was euphoria for three innings. I felt really good,” Guererra said. “With four outs to go I was cautiously optimistic.”

Everything unraveled for Newtown in the sixth. NHS centerfielder Katie Schmidt charged in to catch a pop fly off the bat of Masuk’s Alyssa Pagano, but the wind took the ball back and it landed on the edge of the infield dirt for a hit. Two outs later, with the bases loaded, Masuk’s Chaise Courbron tied the game with a single to center and Shayna Ramalho doubled home two more runs.

After Masuk padded its lead, NHS went quietly in the bottom of the seventh. The Hawks were the “home” team and batted second, despite being the lower seed, because of a coin flip. Masuk improved to 23-0 and NHS dropped to 18-5 overall this spring.

The Nighthawks earned a trip to the championship game in a nail-biting 1-0 win over Lauralton Hall at DeLuca Field on Friday evening. Legros’s pitching gave the Hawks a chance and they capitalized on a few seventh-inning fielding miscues by Hall. With runners on second and third, Legros laid down a bunt and Hall catcher Courtney Collins threw the ball away in an attempt to get the out at first, allowing Ruiz to scamper home with the decisive run.

Newtown’s fortunes finally changed in the late innings of Saturday’s championship.

"Everybody was so down. When you're so close to beating a team like that it's so hard to come back," sophomore Katie Bowen said.

 Newtown rebounded with a 2-0 win over Greenwich in the  Class LL state tourney’s opening round on Wednesday.

"We all knew we would bounce back,” Bowen said.

Stacy Broughton and Bowen split pitching duties in the state tourney opener between No. 7 NHS and No. 26 Greenwich. Broughton pitched three innings and Bowen tossed the final four to combine for the shutout. Both hurlers had three strikeouts.

Newtown was oportunistic and scored its only two runs on a wild pitch and a throwing error. Kelly Tenney had a double and triple in the win.

"That was a tough loss to swallow,” Tenney said of the SWC defeat. “But we're getting over it and this win helps.”

"I told the girls a new season (started Wednesday)," Guererra added. "It's one game at a time. We've got to try to stay focused."

With a win over No. 10 Simsbury (14-4) in the second round on Thursday (after The Bee went to press), Newtown's quarterfinal round opponent would likely be the tourney's No. 2 seed, Masuk. There is a belief among the NHS players that they can find a way to beat Masuk, which beat them three times last year, including once in each the SWC and state tourneys. Perhaps the third time will be the charm the second time around.

"I think the whole team wants Masuk again," Tenney said.