By Kim J. Harmon

While the quest for a second straight South-West Conference championship remained alive and viable for the Newtown High School girls’ lacrosse team, the baseball and softball teams saw their 2006 seasons come to a disappointing and quiet end in their respective CIAC state tournament.

At the same time, the Newtown High School girls’ tennis team continued to set the tone for the spring season by wrapping up two individual titles just days after securing the SWC team championship for the first time ever.

Read on –

GIRLS LACROSSE

Newtown 14, Joel Barlow 8

Focus.

While it certainly may have been a lack of focus that was the root cause of the only loss suffered by the Newtown High School girls’ lacrosse team back on May 9, lack of focus was most certainly not a problem in the South-West Conference semi-finals last week.

“We were really focused for this game,” said senior Carly Curran, a University of Connecticut recruit. “We had this thing where we focused on eight things we wanted to do and said it to ourselves (last night) to get ready.”

The exercise must have worked because the Lady Nighthawks exploded for 10 goals in the first half enroute to a very convincing 14-8 win over Joel Barlow at Blue & Gold Stadium. Back in April, the ‘Hawks slipped past the Lady Falcons, 10-8.

“We needed to get back to playing our game,” said Curran, who all too well remembers the despair following that loss to New Fairfield only two weeks before. “We were all really upset about that, but it was a good thing and it helped us work harder.”

The win put the ‘Hawks – the defending SWC champions – in the tournament final Wednesday (after press time) against Brookfield. The locals closed out the regular season with a 16-15, come-from-behind win over the Lady Bobcats.

Against Barlow, Karli Beitel scored four goals and assisted on two others, Katie Sudby scored three goals and Rachel Maley and Moira Collier notched two goals apiece with Maley chipping in with two assists. Jen Greenwood really set the tone in the game, assisting on five of the first six Newtown goals and then adding a goal of her own … all in the first half.

Lauren Ciccomoscolo and Betsy Vendel also scored while goaltender Kerrie Canavan made 11 saves in the cage.

As dominating a performance as it was, the critical moment in the game came with one minute left in the first half. With the ‘Hawks nursing a five-goal lead on the Lady Falcons, Canavan made a huge stop on a strong offensive thrust, quickly turned it around, and then watched from the comfort of the cage as the ‘Hawks scored twice in the final 20 seconds of the half to take a 10-3 lead into the break.

Greenwood scored off an assist from Rachel Maley with 20 seconds left and Maley added an unassisted goal, off a re-start, with just 1.3 seconds remaining.

Barlow scored the opening salvo of the second half, but never recovered. The locals went up as much as nine goals with 13:03 remaining and then held on as the Falcons scored four of the last five goals in the game.

The ‘Hawks improved to 15-1 overall and besides being ranked second in Division I (according to the casciac.org) they were also ranked eighth in Connecticut and 42nd in New England according to laxpower.com.

Newtown 14, Joel Barlow 8

GOALS: Newtown – Karli Beitel 4, Katie Sudby 3, Rachel Maley 2, Moira Collier 2, Jen Greenwood, Lauren Ciccomoscolo, Betsy Vendel; Joel Barlow – Alison Urgulank 2, Emma Kelly, Chelsea Caren, Jen Grant, Shannon Eaker, Britney Butley, Katie Heibeck. ASSISTS: Newtown – Jen Greenwood 5, Karli Beitel 2, Rachel Maley 2; Joel Barlow – Jen Grant, Alison Urquhart. SAVES: Newtown – Kerrie Canavan 11; Joel Barlow – Liz Roche 16.

BASEBALL

Xavier 7, Newtown 1

The tone was set right away.

And it wasn’t good.

The Newtown High School baseball team loaded the bases in the top of the first inning in its CIAC Class LL first-round game against Xavier at Palmer Field in Middletown on Tuesday but failed to plate any runs enroute to a 7-1 loss and the quiet ending to a season that had begun so promisingly.

The Nighthawks opened the season with eight consecutive wins, but later – in the midst of a five-game losing streak that saw the locals slip from 11-2 to 11-7 – it was the clutch hits, key defensive plays and basic crumbs of good luck that became more scarce with each passing game.

Clutch hits … one could have put the ‘Hawks in charge of the game in the top of the first after Brian Shimko singled with one out, Ryan McGrath was plunked with a pitch and Mike Tibbetts was issued a walk. But a strikeout eased the threat.

And in the top of the third, Shimko singled again, Seth Hull blooped a single to right and Pete Oggeri dribbled a swinging bunt between the mound and third base … but the locals only came away with one run when Steve Marks ripped a slicing line drive right to the Xavier left fielder to close out the frame.

Meanwhile, while opportunity passed the ‘Hawks by, Xavier scored five runs (two coming in the first off a deep triple and three more coming in the third after a double banged off the left field wall) to take an early, commanding lead. In the bottom of the fourth, Xavier scored two more runs with the benefit of just one base hit (a single). Three walks and an error did the damage in that frame.

In the top of the fifth, Shimko banged out his third single of the game … but it was the final hit of the afternoon for the ‘Hawks, who went quietly in the sixth and seventh innings to close out the game.

GIRLS TENNIS

Newtown 7, Bridgeport 0

Just two days after earning the South-West Conference team championship, the Newtown High School girls’ tennis team secured two more championships – this time at the SWC individual tournament at Joel Barlow High School in Redding.

And just how the Lady Nighthawks dominated the team tournament, in the finals last Thursday four of the seven courts were occupied by Newtown players … but only Kristene Salbu (No. 3 singles) and Jenna Moser and Katie Serock (No. 2 doubles) came away with titles.

For Salbu – who defeated Emily Broderick of Pomperaug 6-2, 6-2 – it kept her undefeated season alive. For Tanner and Moser – who defeated Katie O’Connell and Katherine Peck of Lauralton Hall 6-4, 6-3 – it was their second title in a row after earning the No. 3 doubles championship in 2005.

Ashley Gabor (No. 4 singles) and the doubles tandem of Emily Fields and Jill Tanner also reached the finals, but as Gabor fell to Morgan Dunne of Lauralton Hall 6-1, 6-4, Fields and Tanner fell to Kyra Kaufman and Brittany Wilbanks of Weston 7-5, 6-4.

The ‘Hawks began play in the CIAC Class L team tournament on Tuesday and cruised to a 7-0 sweep over Bridgeport Central. On Wednesday (after press time), the locals (ranked fourth in Class L) hosted No. 12 Ridgefield.

SWC Individuals

SINGLES: Jennifer Holzberg (Joel Barlow) def Kaitlynn Cates (Pomperaug) 6-0, 6-2; Lindsay Gersh (Weston) def Julienne Fenne (Masuk) 6-2, 6-1; Kristene Salbu (Newtown ) def Emily Broderick (P) 6-2, 6-2; Morgan Dunne (Lauralton) def Ashley Gabor (Newtown) 6-1, 6-4. DOUBLES: Kyra Kaufman/Brittany Wilbanks (Weston) def Emily Fields/Jill Tanner (Newtown) 7-5, 6-4; Jenna Moser/Katie Serock (Newtown) def Katie O’Connel/Katherine Peck (Lauralton) 6-4, 6-3; Katelyn Cusano/Jessica Rutledge (Pomperaug) def Kay Murphy/Liz Vail 7-6 (7-2), 7-6 (7-5).

SOFTBALL

Brookfield 1, Newtown 0

Staples 6, Newtown 2

She pitched her heart out.

But heart wasn’t enough.

Freshman Jenna Legros fired a three hitter, walking five and striking out seven, and dueled Ashley Castellano of Brookfield for six innings in the South-West Conference semi-finals before two critical errors in the top of the seventh doomed her effort.

Brookfield escaped with a 1-0 win, but went on to lose to Masuk in the SWC championship.

And after the Lady Nighthawks saw their conference title hopes come to an end, their season came to its own conclusion with a 6-2 loss to Staples on Tuesday afternoon in the first round of the CIAC Class LL state tournament.

The Lady Wreckers scored three times in the bottom of the third to break open a scoreless draw and then added three runs in the bottom of the fourth to break it open. The locals scored once in the sixth and once in the seventh and collected just four hits (one of those a triple by Kelly Tenney) off pitcher Katrina Ellison.

The true heartbreaker, though, was last Wednesday in the SWC semi-finals. A day after shocking Lauralton Hall in the quarter-finals (the second year in a row the ‘Hawks knocked the Crusaders out of the tournament), the locals held their own against one of the toughest pitchers in the SWC.

The ‘Hawks collected a pair of hits by Melissa Fracker and Sam Ciaccia and pushed runners to second base in the first and second innings, but were unable to score. In the fourth, Tenney slapped a two-out single in the hole between third and short but was stranded at first. And in the bottom of the fifth, Joanna Barry singled and reached second on an infield groundout, but was stranded there.

But then they ran out of opportunities and Brookfield took advantage of its own opportunities. In the top of seventh, a one-out error and sacrifice put a Lady Bobcat runner on second and a throwing error allowed that runner to score the only run of the game.

In was the second time in a week that Newtown suffered a disappointing loss to Brookfield. Four days previous, Legros locked up with Castellano in an extra-inning duel that ended when the Lady Bobcats pushed across two runs in the top of the 14th inning for a 3-1 win.

The ‘Hawks close out the regular season at 11-12.

Brookfield 1, Newtown 0

BATTERIES: Brookfield – Ashley Castellano and Caitlin Smith; Newtown – Jenna Legros and Ashley Ferris. WP: Castellano (16-2). LP: Legros (5-9). SO: Castellano 8, Legros 7. BB: Legros 5.

Staples 6, Newtown 2

BATTERIES: Newtown – Jenna Legros, Stacy Broughton (6) and Ashley Ferris; Staples – Katrina Ellison and Anna Wiggin. WP: Ellison. LP: Legros (5-10). SO: Legros 5, Ellison 4, Broughton 2. BB: Legros 2, Broughton. 3B: Catherine Johnson (S), Kelly Tenney (N). RBI: Newtown – Sam Ciaccia, Nora Lynn Shimko; Staples – Johnson 3.

BOYS TENNIS

When the South-West Conference individual tournament began last week, expectations were not all that high for the Newtown High School boys’ tennis team. But Mario Roehrs (fourth singles) made an exciting push for a title.

A fourth-seed, Roehrs defeated Steve Frosolone of Masuk, 8-6 in the qualifying round before falling to Will Bosches of Weston 7-6 (7-6), 1-6, 7-6 (7-4) in a semi-final match that began on Wednesday but completed on Thursday due to darkness.

“Mario came heartbreakingly close to making it into the finals,” said head coach Marty Margulies, “and will be a strong contender for top honors next year.”

Drew Adamek (first singles), Max Margulies (third singles), Mike Coster and Jim Wilkins (first doubles) and Adam Wenick and Evan Batzer (second doubles) all qualified for the tournament, but then dropped their opening matches.

Adamek (#7 seed) fell to Elie Bilmes of Pomperaug 8-1; Margulies (#5 seed) lost to Morgan Pinter of Joel Barlow 8-1; Coster and Wilkins (#6 seed) lost to Chris Turner and Jamie Leavitt of Brookfield 8-3; Wenick and Batzer lost to Tomas Wind and Seth Steinberg of Brookfield 8-3.

For Wenick and Batzer the loss was a little more disappointing as they had defeated Turner and Leavitt 4-6, 7-6 (7-3), 7-6 (7-4) in an exciting three-set match during the regular season.

The Nighthawks (7-7) began play in the CIAC state tournament on Thursday (after press time).

GOLF

Newtown 167, Bethel 169

With six wins in their final seven matches – including a narrow 167-169 win over Bethel on Tuesday at Rock Ridge Country Club – the Newtown High School golf team has finished off the 2006 regular season at 11-5.

Dave McLaughlin fired a 3-over par 38 and Billy McCann added a 6-over par 41 to overcome three solid rounds by the Wildcats, who call Rock Ridge their home course. Steve Oberstadt and Evan Gregoire carded rounds of 9-over 44.

JP McDade finished with a solid 10-over 45, but did not figure into the scoring.

The South-West Conference tournament will be held Friday, June 2, at Ridgewood Country Club with the first group heading out at 7:30 am.

Newtown 167, Bethel 169

INDIVIDUALS: Newtown – Dave McLaughlin 38, Billy McCann 41, Steve Oberstadt 44, Evan Gregoire 44; Bethel – Adam Cohen 40, Mike Rizzo 41, Brendan O’Grady 41, Colin Cote 47. COURSE: Rock Ridge Country Club (par 35). MEDALLIST: Dave McLaughlin (N) 38.