Outstanding relief pitching by Michael Burton and clutch hitting by Kyle Wilcox, Michael Koch and Jacob Moore carried the Thunder to a nail-biting 8-7 victory over the Vikings on Sunday at Liberty Field during Newtown Babe Ruth Fall Baseball League a

By KIM HARMON

Published: Sep 29, 2006 12:00 am

Outstanding relief pitching by Michael Burton and clutch hitting by Kyle Wilcox, Michael Koch and Jacob Moore carried the Thunder to a nail-biting 8-7 victory over the Vikings on Sunday at Liberty Field during Newtown Babe Ruth Fall Baseball League action.

Trailing 6-5 in the sixth inning, Wilcox stretched a single to center field into a double with daring base-running. Moore rapped a two-out single to score Wilcox with the tying run. Koch struck out the side in the bottom of the inning, sending the game to extra innings.

Vikingsâ reliever Tyler Gibney returned the favor, striking out the side in the seventh inning. Burton, making his first pitching appearance of the season, walked lead-off hitter Nick Herron and then calmly retired the next batters â two on strikeouts. In the eighth inning, Wilcox slashed a wicked hit that bounced past the right fielder and he scooted all the way around the bases for a 7-6 lead. Ben Stoller walked, moved to second on a wild pitch and raced home on a hard single by Koch with what would later become the game-winning run.

Gibney refused to let the Vikings die in the bottom of the eighth inning. He clubbed a two-out triple deep over the left fielderâs head and scored on an errant throw to the cutoff man. Burton, though, wouldnât give in, recording his first win when the next batter popped up to catcher Erik Laaksonen.

The Thunder had jumped out to a 4-0 first-inning lead. After Laaksonen singled and Sean Dardine reached on an error, they were brought home by an RBI single by Wilcox and an RBI grounder by Stoller. Koch then blasted an RBI base hit, stole second, took third on a wild pitch and scored on a Moore grounder. Koch and Stoller share the team RBI lead, each with five, and Koch has a team-leading eight runs scored.

The Vikings bounced back for one run in the bottom of the first, when Ryan Errico smacked a double to score Sam Ashey. They tied the game in the third inning. Robert Linden singled and moved to third when Gibney drilled a double down the left field line. Linden scored on a wild pitch, and Gibney came home on an Errico grounder. Ashey tied the game by walking, stealing second, moving to third on Erricoâs grounder and coming home on a catcherâs throwing error.

Koch put the Thunder ahead, 5-4, in the top of the fourth inning, drilling a double and scoring on two wild pitches. But The Vikings rebounded for two runs in the bottom half to take a 6-5 lead. Linden singled and scored on two errors, and Gibney reached on an error and was driven home by an Errico single. The damage would have been more severe, but the Thunderâs Burton made a great, sliding catch in right field to rob Herron of a hit.

Thunder pitchers Wilcox, Laaksonen, Koch and Burton combined to strike out 16 batters. Vikings pitchers Ashey, Herron, Errico and Gibney struck out 10.

In other fall ball action â

BASEBALL

U10/11

New Fairfield 16, Thunder 3 â New Fairfield capitalized on six second-inning walks, scoring eight runs and never looking back Saturday in New Fairfield. Thunder pitchers could not stop New Fairfieldâs dynamic duo â Ryan Brish and Trevor Cocozza â who combined for six hits and five RBIs. New Fairfield surrendered 15 base runners but only one hit. The Thunder scored two third-inning runs. Connor Bateson walked and scored on an error, and Harrison Buzzi walked and scored on a walk by Kyle Wilcox. In the sixth inning, Michael Koch singled for the teamâs only hit and was driven in by a Bateson walk. Right fielder Jacob Moore made a nice defensive play, grabbing a line drive and throwing to first baseman Ben Stoller to deprive New Fairfieldâs Mike Langdon of a second-inning single.

8/9

Tuscans 19, Huskies 8 â The Tuscans defeated the Huskies behind the strong pitching of Sam Czel, Mark Dowling and Bobby Archiere. Matt Wood powered the offense with four hits and four runs scored. John Carlson and Lane Kummer each had two runs scored. For the Huskies, Tyler Dullinger, Andrew Ross, Dillon Palumbo and Connor Lemay all played well.

Nighthawks 13, Blue Devils 11 â The Blue Devils received key hits from Bobby Lydon, Nate Dowd and Jim Parker to lead the offense. Nicholas Chaloux, Connor Ryan and Alex Klang made nice defensive plays.

Blue Devils 10, Blazers 9 â The Blue Devils rallied with five runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to defeat the Blazers. Alex Klang, Michael Parker and Nate Dowd pitched well while Jim Parker led the offense with a home run and a double. Stephen Panza and Kevin Finnegan played well in the field. For the Blazers, Matthew Hess and Nicholas Nelson were solid in the field as Connor Roche and Zach Aumueller pitched two scoreless innings. Jack Corbett also pitched well.

Huskies 8, Orange 5 â Pitchers Declan Sullivan, Nick Cirone, Jared Brady, Deegan Beauchemin and Liam Palilla of the Huskies held the hot hitting Orange to only five runs.

Tuscans 4, Brookfield 3 â Mark Dowling, Lane Kummer and Matt Wood all pitched well and Dowling led the offense with two hits and a run scored in a loss to Brookfield.

Brookfield 17, Eagles 4; Newtown (#32) 8, Eagles 6 â The Eagles played hard on both Saturday and Sunday with excellent pitching from Nick Cagganello, Joe Calbo and Pat Berger during both games. Offensive standouts Ed Lajoie, Anthony Sodoski and Michael Ziluck kept the hits coming and, on defense, Chris Calo, Andri Henn and Paul Oleary did well.

Blazers 12, Blue Devils 10 â The aggressive baserunning of Austin Huffman, Glen Damota and Jacob Harper helped keep the momentum going for the Blazers. The defensive play of Jordan Salvesen and Connor Roche behind the plate played a role in the victory.

SOFTBALL

U14

Brookfield 11, Pink Panthers 10 â The Pink Panthers played well in defeat as Brookfield fought their way back and finally overtook them in the bottom of the sixth inning to win the game. Caitlin Tefft powered the Newtown offense with three hits while Marilyn LaCroce had two hits, including a double, and scored three times in the loss. Jen Callery, Rachel Camejo and Kate Siroky banged out two hits apiece. Defensively, Taylor Johnson pitched two innings and allowed just one run as Linnea Pearson played well behind the plate.

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It’s important to clarify the tone and context of Derek Pisani’s remarks, particularly the satirical line about suing Newtown for "Gross Stupidity." This was clearly a tongue-in-cheek jab at the exhausting culture of legal threats that’s become a staple on the local Facebook Group forums. It was a reflection of frustration over endless regulatory hurdles and obstructionism, and the desire to avoid common sense solutions not an insult aimed at residents. Satire, is meant to provoke thought and highlight the absurdities. If we are unable to distinguish between satire and literal threats, perhaps the comment hit closer to the truth than we’d like to admit. Rather than focusing on Pisanis style, we should be discussing the substance of what he’s pointing out: that Newtown’s progress is being routinely blocked by a small but vocal contingent who seem intent on saying “no” at every turn. They are saying no to any development, no to common sense solutions to crowd control, etc. Newtown deserves leaders who are willing to call things as they see them, even if their language ruffles feathers. That doesn’t mean they lack respect for constituents—it means they care enough to challenge the Mob and push for solutions. Isn't that what we elect people to do? I applaud Pisani's dedication, he certainly has earned my vote. Regardless, let’s not reduce conversation to tone-policing and outrage. Let’s focus on the issues that matter.

Who is Calling Newtowners Stupid?

Thank you for pointing out the trail access provisions included in the BOS motion—it’s an important clarification that deserves more attention in this conversation. If the development is, in fact, required to provide permanent free public access and commit to ongoing maintenance of this section of the Rochambeau Trail, that is a remarkably beneficial outcome for the town. oIt’s not every day that a private project shoulders the long-term burden of preserving and caring for a public historical corridor at no taxpayer cost—especially one that previously had no formal access, upkeep, or visibility. Let’s be honest: the idea that the only way to protect history is by preventing any development nearby is a rigid and unworkable standard. What’s being proposed here appears to strike a rare balance—historic preservation, public access, and smart development all rolled into one. That’s not a loss its a win. So rather than allowing a handful of voices to derail progress under the banner of “historic purity,” maybe it’s time to acknowledge the reality: this trail is better off with structured stewardship and visibility than remaining an overgrown ghost on old maps. Let’s move forward. Bring in the easement, bring in the public access—and yes, bring in the bulldozers!!! Progress and preservation can coexist. Let’s not let the NIMBY use fear or nostalgia keep us stuck in the past.

Discusses Rochambeau Trail And 6 Commerce Road

I've heard that several people are under the impression that the public might be banned from the Rochambeau Trail. Points 2 and 3 from the BOS motion (included in full below) make it clear that public access to the trail is part of the requirements for the developer. From what I understand, it requires free public access to the trail in perpetuity. Technically, this could be argued to be a "payment-in-kind," that attempts to balance public good with overall town growth. We can argue about weather that balance is acceptable and how the trail may be affected, but with the understanding that the trail is expected to be maintained as a publicly accessible trail regardless. July 15, 2024 Board of Selectmen approved motion: Discontinuance of Reservoir Road: Selectman Cruson moved the resolution: Resolved, that the Newtown Board of Selectmen, in accordance with Section 2-115(d)(8) of the Town Charter and Conn. Gen. Stat. §13a-49, and subject to the conditions set forth below, hereby discontinues an unimproved portion of Reservoir Road described as “Portion of Reservoir Road to be Discontinued “on that certain survey map which will be recorded on the Newtown Land Records titled “Map Showing Portion of Reservoir Road to be Discontinued” dated August, 2023 and revised September 15, 2023, and certified substantially correct by Gregory Szyszowski of SLR (the “Survey Map”), said discontinuance contingent and effective only upon the completion of the following: 1. The approval of an application for the development of land in the manner described in a letter from Attorney Thomas W. Beecher to First Selectman A. Jeffrey Capeci and Members of the Board of Selectmen dated May 30, 2024, pursuant to the “Residential Open Space Development” regulations of the Borough of Newtown by the Borough of Newtown Zoning Commission, and construction of that approval project within the timeframes required for special exception approval; 2. The inclusion of the discontinued portion of the road as part of the final Declaration of Conservation Restriction; 3. The conveyance of a mutually agreeable public easement to the Town of Newtown for pedestrian, bicycling, equestrian, and all other passive recreational uses (to exclude the use of motorized vehicles except as may be necessary by the Town or its designee to effectuate the purpose of the easement), and for municipal utility purposes; Be it further resolved, that Castle Hill Real Estate Holdings, LLC., its successors and assigns, shall not use any portion of the discontinued road as a vehicular road or access way to and from any developed portions of the property. Be it further finally resolved, that should any of the foregoing contingencies not occur, then the discontinuance contemplated herein shall not become effective and this resolution will become null and void. From: https://www.newtown-ct.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif12216/f/minutes/bos_7-15-24_min-_att_final.pdf

Is this paper road (roads that only exist on paper map but not in reality) even owned by the Town? Many roads that predate the Town's road standards are privately owned and were never accepted by the Town, such as many of the nonconforming roads around the lake communities where the property owners own right to the center line. That is something we had to deal with when working on the Roads Ordinance a few years back. We also had to deal with a private road to run the utilities to the new SHS.

For anyone who wants to know, I cant post a link here, but Housatonic Resources Recovery Authority has an entire website. Look up "HRRA whats in whats out"

I Get It!

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Outstanding relief pitching by Michael Burton and clutch hitting by Kyle Wilcox, Michael Koch and Jacob Moore carried the Thunder to a nail-biting 8-7 victory over the Vikings on Sunday at Liberty Field during Newtown Babe Ruth Fall Baseball League a

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