Lightning Sluggers Edge Amity

The U16-19 year old baseball team, the Newtown Lightning, sponsored by VFW Post #308, battled back from a 4-1 deficit to beat first-place Amity 6-5 in the final regular-season game Sunday at Fairfield Hills Field.

Amity, comprised almost entirely of former varsity and junior varsity players, finished the season with a 10-2 record. Its only two losses were against Newtown, which finished in second place at 7-4. In Sunday’s game, Newtown opened the scoring in the first inning after Ben Stoller walked and stole second. John Lebinski grounded an RBI single to right field to score Stoller.

Newtown’s Eric Sutton pitched three shutout innings before Amity scored four fourth-inning runs on sloppy defensive play and four hits. The Lightning trimmed the deficit to 4-2 in the bottom of the inning. John Lebinski reached on an error, Sutton and Austin Ekstrom singled to load the bases and Ryan O’Keefe lined an RBI sacrifice fly to right.

In the fifth, Nicky Sajovic walked, and Brandon Cooper slashed a base hit down the left field line. Sajovic moved to third on an errant pickoff throw by the catcher, and Cooper stole second. Stoller drilled an RBI sacrifice fly to left field, scoring Sajovic. In the sixth, Sutton singled up the middle and moved to second on a balk. Alex Romeo hit a two-out grounder to the shortstop, but the first baseman dropped the ball, and Sutton scored the tying run. Romeo stole second and later scored for a 5-4 lead.

Alex Saviano ripped an RBI single to center to score O’Keefe with the insurance run. In the seventh inning, Amity’s Drew Kozak blasted a double, and Ekstrom came in to relieve Sutton. Ekstrom retired the first batter on a long fly to right fielder Sajovic, and Kozak scored on a wild pitch. Ekstrom walked two batters but then settled down to get the save, retiring one batter on a popup to Sutton at short and another on a foul pop to first baseman Stoller that ended the game. Newtown opens the playoffs Saturday, June 2 at noon against Pomperaug at Fairfield Hills. The winner reaches the championship next Sunday.