One tough inning and an even tougher pitcher - Norwich Free Academy's Elizabeth Fleming - added up to the end of a tremendous season for Newtown High School's softball team.

The fourth-seeded Nighthawks lost 6-1 to No. 5 NFA in the Class LL state tournament quarterfinals, at Newtown High, on June 2.

Fleming struck out 13 batters; she carried a no-hitter into the bottom of the fifth inning before Kamdynn Moroney broke it up with a long home run to left field. By that time, the Wildcats had built a 6-0 lead, with most of the damage done in a five-run second inning.

Haley Ryan's infield single accounted for Newtown's only other hit. The two-time South-West Conference champions, who scored in double digits 11 times, saw their season come to an end.

An error in that second inning helped open the door to the Wildcats turning a scoreless tie into a comfortable lead as Hailee Schrader unloaded the bases with a three-run double to lead the way.

"You can't give them a five spot. You take the bat out of your hitter's hands," said Newtown Coach Bob Guererra, noting that the team was able to overcome some shaky fielding in prior state playoff games because the hitting was there.

Not against Fleming.

"It's the old adage, good pitching beats good hitting," said Guererra, noting that the NFA pitcher threw harder than most hurlers his team has seen. "Our kids tried but good pitching gets good hitting out."

Newtown pitcher Sara Kennedy limited the Wildcats who, similarly to Newtown, piled up the runs this campaign, to only one run outside that challenging second frame. The Hawks had some strong defensive plays, including third baseman Katie Laaksonen snaring a hard grounder, stepping on third, and throwing across to first for a double play in the sixth inning.

This game may not have gone the way the Hawks were hoping it would, but the spring was a memorable, on the whole, one for the Hawks.

"It was a phenomenal season," said Guererra, adding that his squad had some tremendous individual performances as well as great team achievements.

Laaksonen setting the Newtown High career hits record and the Hawks winning their second straight SWC championship were among the highlights. This year's Nighthawk team, which went 17-3 in the regular season, had the second-most victories in a campaign in the program's history, the coach said.

Guererra said he told his team members "Don't judge your season by this last game because it's not indicative of how we played, how we battled."

As the NHS coach points out, not every team can come out on top.

"We didn't win it all but only one will," he said.

Newtown catcher Mackenzie Macchiarulo said strong team chemistry sparked Newtown's success this spring.

"We left it all on the field every game. Today we tried our hardest. I guess our best wasn't good enough," said Macchiarulo, a junior, adding that the Nighthawks will come back stronger next year.

The Hawks will have to do it without a solid group of seniors, Laaksonen, Ryan, Mali Klorczyk, and Lauren Wilcox.