With a couple of shutouts, one blowout and a close shave the Newtown Hawks 12-and-under travel softball team has improved to 8-1 in the Fairfield County Fastpitch Softball League (FCFSL) and 6-3 in the Central Valley Fastpitch League (CVFL).

By KIM HARMON

Published: Jul 29, 2005 12:00 am

The Hawks blanked Watertown (3-0) and Stamford Blue (11-0) while routing Norwalk (14-2) and nipping Prospect (3-2).

In the win over Watertown, Shortstop Rachael Ruiz had a spectacular game for the Hawks with nine errorless chances in the field and two hits at the plate. Kate Bowen went the distance for Newtown, recording the shutout against a strong offensive team. Bowen also collected a pair of hits for the cause as Sarah Ferris, Colleen Cunningham and Ally Modzelewski provided hits.

In the win over Stamford, three pitchers â Modzelewski, Stephanie Sanchez and Cunningham â combined on a no-hitter with 11 strikeouts.

Amanda Nealy and Bowen each went 2-for-2 at the plate while Modzelewski rapped a two-run double. Ruiz, Paige Woodhouse, Nicole Elias and Natalie Dunn all collected hits for the Hawks. The battery of Kelly Burton (catcher) and Cunningham (pitcher) combined for a great play at the end of the game, tagging out a Stamford player attempting to steal home.

In the win over Prospect, Bowen fired a three-hitter with 11 strikeouts. Catcher Ashley Kuligowski had a great game behind the plate, throwing out two runners and making a nice catch on a foul tip. Kuligowski, Bowen, Ruiz and Woodhouse all had hits.

In the win over New Canaan, Sanchez and Modzelewski combined for the win while whiffing 10 batters. Burton, Kuligowski and Bowen each smacked two hits apiece while Sanchez, Dunn, Nealy, Ferris and Modzelewski (two-run double) had hits.

U14

After a brutal schedule of nine games in six games, the Newtown Force 14-and-under travel softball team finished second in the CVFL â just one point out of first â heading into the league tournament this weekend.

The Force fell to the Watertown Rapids (8-7) on July 19, split a doubleheader with the Cheshire Red Wildcats on July 20 (a 3-2 loss and 2-1 win), swept a doubleheader with the New Milford Jades on July 21 (12-3 and 8-5), defeated the Southington Lightning on July 22 (7-5), slipped past the Fairfield Blaze on July 23 (7-6) and then split a doubleheader with the Danbury Debs on July 24 (a 5-4 loss and 9-3 win).

Against the Rapids, the Force scored four times in the first inning on singles by Kelly Tenney and Elissa Robertson and a pair of errors. Singles by Katie Schmidt and Tenney helped the Force plate another run in the fourth while Kaila Harrington singled in a run in the fourth. Watertown, though, scored four times in the third and four times in the fifth. The Force put two runners on in the top of the seventh on singles by Laura Newberry and Megan Sajovic, but were unable to score.

In the loss the Cheshire, the Force collected just two hits (by Tenney and Schmidt) but still had a 2-1 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh when Cheshire rallied for the win. Melissa Fracker had a pair of stolen bases and Nora Lynn Shimko had a nice sacrifice bunt to pace the locals.

Stacy Broughton pitched seven innings of three-hit ball, striking out four.

In the followup, Shimko and Schmidt both tripled and Sajovic singled to lead the Force to the 2-1 win. Fracker made three excellent plays in right field while Sajovic pitched well, allowing only one hit while walking two and striking out two.

In the first win over New Milford, Sammi Nemchek fired a three-hitter. Sajovic went 3-for-4 with a triple, two singles and two RBIs; Schmidt doubled and had two RBIs; Barry had two singles and an RBI; and Fracker had two singles to pace the offense. Joanna Barry played well.

In the second win over New Milford, Schmidt had a triple and three RBI, Fracker had a pair of singles, and Sajovic had a single and an RBI. Broughton pitched a complete game, scattering six hits and whiffing seven batters.

In the win over Southington, Sajovic banged out three singles, Tenney tripled and drove in two runs, and Harrington, Broughton, Barry and Schmidt contributed run-scoring singles. Nemchek and Fracker both singled.

Against the Blaze, the locals needed an extra frame to earn the win. In the bottom of the seventh, Fairfield took advantage of two errors, two walks, a double and a single to score three runs and tie the score. But in the eighth, Fracker singled, stole second, and scored on a single by Nemchek. Nemchek pitched eight innings, scattering seven hits and striking out two batters. Davis made a pair of key catches in left field.

In a loss to Danbury, untimely errors in the ninth inning cost the Force the factory. Broughton pitched a complete-game one-hitter, striking out four and walking three. Shimko, Sajovic and Davis had singles in the game and Broughton had a key sacrifice bunt in the ninth-inning tiebreaker.

In the followup, the Force jumped out of the box with four runs in the first inning on doubles by Shimko and Sajovic, singles by Barry and Schmidt, and a sacrifice fly by Tenney. Then the locals scored three more times in the third on a walk to Sajovic, a sacrifice bunt by Robertson, and singles by Barry, Tenney and Fracker.

U10

With the tying run on third, Ashley Cirone whiffed the final batter as the Newtown Hawks 10-and-under travel team survived a 15-14 win over Wilton on Monday.

The Hawks had built up a big lead, but had trouble negotiating a solid defense as dusk arriving. Ali Kennedy and Jessica Gibbons hit the ball well and Erin Begg scored a key run after being hit by a pitch.

Stephanie Roman and Madison Hauck did a solid job catching on a hot and humid night while Taylor Brady, Jessica Jowdy, and Kendall Svanda also contributed to the win.

The Hawks will play in the season-ended FCFSL tournament this weekend in Redding. A couple of weeks ago, the Hawks finished third in the Connecticut Babe Ruth State Tournament.

A 15-10 win over Norwalk in the opener had the Hawks on the right road, but Stamford pinned a 13-0 loss on the locals in the second round. Later, the Hawks lost a tough, 7-5 decision to Norwalk.

Emma Herring and Cirone were awarded tournament MVP medals. Jackie Kissack caught a couple mammoth fly balls in left field as Begg, Gibbons, Maggie Kennedy, Jowdy, Roman, Brady and Svanda played well.

U12 All Stars

On June 14th the Blue All-Stars defeated the Red All -Stars by the score of 4-0. For the Blue team Nicole Elias, Amanda Nealy, Rachael Ruiz and Kate Bowen combined on the mound for the shut out. Nicole Escoda and Bowen went 2-for-2at the plate while Megan Murphy scored a run. Murphy, Ashley Kuligowski and Nealy played well defensively. For the Red team, Stephanie Sanchez and Colleen Cunningham pitched well. Sarah Ferris was 2-for-2 at the plate while Kelly Burton, Katie Siroky (triple) and Sabrina Yudleson ripped hits.

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I have to say, I don’t understand how this project could be considered “morally wrong.” That kind of language feels more like obstruction than constructive dialogue. What is morally wrong is leaving seniors in our community without enough housing options. Right now, Newtown does not have adequate senior housing, and the few developments that exist, like Naunawag Meadows, already have waiting lists. As for the comment that “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,” that simply isn’t accurate. The system is broken when residents who’ve lived here their whole lives cannot find an affordable and appropriate place to age in town. Responsible development that balances environmental concerns, safety improvements (such as traffic calming measures and sidewalks), and the needs of our seniors is exactly the kind of planning Newtown should be doing. This isn’t about wanting or not wanting something in one’s backyard—it’s about building a community that takes care of its people. Please don't get scared away by the nimby mob.

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It seems a lot of the discussion around the flagpole focuses on vilifying drivers who pass on the right, but the real issue is being overlooked. If Chapter 248 Section 14-251 were enforced, we wouldn’t see this problem to begin with. That statute prohibits stopping in the middle of a roadway to yield to cross traffic—as so often happens with cars waiting to turn from Church Hill. When vehicles stop illegally in the travel lane, they effectively create a blockage. Other drivers then either sit through unnecessary delays or carefully pass around them on the right, which is fully permitted when the vehicle ahead is “illegally parked” in the roadway. Instead of punishing drivers reacting to the obstruction, enforcement should focus on the cause: vehicles unlawfully stopping and backing up traffic in the first place. If that behavior were addressed, the need to “go around” would largely disappear.

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John, you raise an important point — these situations are tragic, complicated, and often far less clear-cut than the headlines make them seem. In the Fredericksburg case, the full facts still aren’t publicly known, and like so many of these stories, there’s conflicting information. It was apparently the back door at 3 a.m. — was it justified to use deadly force? We don’t know yet. What we do know is that the homeowner has been charged, and as you rightly noted, that is very serious. But this is also where perspective matters. These cases are quickly sensationalized in the news and on social media, yet when the dust settles, the outcomes are rarely publicized. People forget that in our system, you are innocent until proven guilty. Try to find much coverage of the convication in the case of the Fairfield Realtor vehicle homicide, or updates on the woman who shot her husband a couple of Christmases ago, or even the pedestrian death in Sandy Hook a year or so back. The follow-through simply isn’t there, and public opinion is often shaped only by the first round of headlines. At the end of the day, these situations remind us how split-second decisions in the middle of the night can change lives forever — which is exactly why the right to protect one’s property, home and family is so fiercely debated, and lucky constitutionally protected.

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First the low hanging fruit. Dave; it was a joke, please get over it. You are the only person in Newtown that thought I really wanted to build a stadium on 6 Commence Rd. Now on to Alex. You might not appreciate my writing style or my selection of words, but let's not loose sight of the fact that by responding to my letter in the manner that you did, you have removed any doubt whatsoever that you have no idea of the quantifiable benefits you are dismissing not only for the town, but also for protesters. Either you stopped listening at the word "ordinance" or you never started.. Your constitutional rights to assemble were never in question and would actually be strengthened and there would be literally no impediments. We could even title it "The Alex Villamil Ordinance" if you want. It could be your legacy and actually show Newtown your willingness to work in a bipartisan way for the betterment of the town. Businesses would be protected. Traffic wouldn't be interrupted. The town would save hundreds of thousands of dollars in police overtime. And maybe most importantly, the town could prevent another tragedy while mitigating legal risk in the event something terrible happens at a protest. Nothing bad could never happen in Newtown right? All that could be accomplished by a simple, non-intrusive ordinance unless all the detriments to our town are intentional in order to bring more attention to your cause. Alex, this was not me throwing a temper tantrum. Believe me, you will know it if that happens. I am just putting Newtown first. From that perspective, if you think critically, the regulation is necessary. It makes sense logically, rationally, and is reasonable. There is absolutely no down side. None. I would be willing to sit down with you to see if we could come to some type of compromise if you want. Let me know. You would be amazed how much you can accomplish when there is dialogue amongst neighbors.

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A popular prank circulating on TikTok is “ding-dong-ditch” where a group of young people violently bang or kick someone’s door late at night and then “ditch” or run. On May 3 three high schoolers here in Fredericksburg Va. were participating in such a prank. One homeowner assumed, as in this case, an attempted break in and also took measures to defend his family and property. As the youths were running away he fired, striking an 18 year old graduating senior in the back killing him and seriously injuring a second youth. A wasted life, a family shattered, and the homeowner charged with murder.

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With a couple of shutouts, one blowout and a close shave the Newtown Hawks 12-and-under travel softball team has improved to 8-1 in the Fairfield County Fastpitch Softball League (FCFSL) and 6-3 in the Central Valley Fastpitch League (CVFL).

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