U10 Hawks Third In Babe Ruth State Softball Tournament

The U10 Newtown Hawks travel softball team placed third in the Babe Ruth State Tournament at Cove Island Park in Stamford July 16-18. 

The Hawks battled the heat during the weekend and, in their first game, beat Cheshire 13-3. The offense was driven by the bats of Emily Bell who knocked in two runs with a fielder’s choice and a single, Isabella Luciano who ripped two doubles, and Rylee Mulligan who went 3-for-3.

In the fifth inning , Cassidy Keller got a line drive single which drove in two runs to end the game because of the ten-run mercy rule.

On Saturday, the Hawks’ offense continued to roll with a 12-0 shutout over Norwalk. Shannon Cheh pitched a no-hitter and allowed four walks. The Hawks scored ten runs in the first two inning behind the big bats of Tegan Doherty, Sammie Strocchia, and Sydney Flint who teamed up to knock in two runs apiece, and with some aggressive base running by Rylee Mulligan, Jackie Gouveia, and Sammie Strocchia, each with five stolen bases. 

During a break before their next game, the Hawks had a team picnic at Cove Island Beach and cooled off in the Sound before heading back to the fields to battle with Stamford.    

In the first inning of the game against Stamford, the Hawks scored a run on a triple from Sammie Strocchia, followed by a single by Tegan Doherty. In the fifth inning, Rachel O’Grady led off with a walk and stole second but the following three Hawk batters were retired. Stamford limited the Hawks to four hits and won 12-2.

In the semifinal game, the Hawks met with Cheshire again and fell 11-6. Newtown trailed 4-2 in the second inning before stealing a run to pull to within 4-3. Jillian Lasorsa led off the bottom of the second with a walk and moved to second on a sacrifice bunt from Cassidy Keller. Jackie Gouveia picked up a single which moved Lasorsa over to third and with two outs Lasorsa got the delayed steal call and was able to swipe home. During the remainder of the game, 16 Hawk batters either grounded out or flied out but managed to pick up a couple more runs.  However, the additional runs were not enough to overcome the Cheshire offense which took off in the fifth and sixth innings. 

Zoe Beals, who was on the disabled list, cheered her team on from the bench. The Hawks are managed by Head Coach Scott Beals and assistant coaches, Keith Cheh, Paul Flint, and Kathleen Mulligan.