By Steve Bigham

BETHEL – The Newtown High School softball team’s four-game win streak came to an end Monday afternoon with an 11-2 loss at Bethel.

Heading into a key matchup with Joel Barlow at home Wednesday, the Nighthawks sported a 5-6 league record and were looking to run the table as the South West Conference playoffs approach. According to Coach Paul LaFrancesca, his girls need to win four of their last five games in order to get in.

And that won’t be easy, particularly with Foran and Lauralton Hall still looming on the schedule. Newtown will play Lauralton Hall Saturday morning in East Haven as part of the annual MADD tournament. The game will count toward the SWC standings.

“Eight losses and you won’t get in, so we can’t afford to lose more than one more game. There will definitely be tiebreakers involved,” LaFrancesca said.

Monday’s loss to Bethel was a huge one, according to the Newtown coach, especially since the Wildcats came in with the same record as Newtown. And despite the lopsided score, this could have easily been a win for the locals. Tied 2-2, a couple of defensive blunders in the bottom of the fifth inning by Newtown led to nine unearned Bethel runs, all with two outs.

The loss overshadowed Newtown’s fine offensive output in the top of the fifth when Jamie Lindquist singled and was followed by back-to-back triples by freshmen Trina Ramsdell and Erin Murdock.

Monday’s loss, however, could not overshadow last week’s four-game tear, which included seven straight hits by senior Kate Bouteiller to raise her batting average to .375 and standout pitching performances from rock-solid junior, Kristin Caposella, who gave up just 10 hits over 28 innings to record all four wins. “Cappy” also blasted a two-run homer in Saturday’s 4-1 non-league win over Staples at home.

Last Friday, the Nighthawks defeated Immaculate, 12-2, under the lights at Treadwell Park as Caposella recorded 15 strikeouts and added two hits and three RBI. Brittany Hutchinson and Bouteiller also added two hits each in the win.

Newtown began the streak May 1 with a 4-2 win at Masuk in Monroe on a two-run bomb by Jodi Minalgo in the seventh inning. The Nighthawks then followed it up with a 7-2 win at home against Notre Dame May 2 in a game that saw Bouteiller go 4-for-4.

Against Staples, Ramsdell led off the third inning with a single, stole second and third, then came home on a safety-squeeze off the bat of Bouteiller. Caposella, the next batter, followed with a homerun.

A win over Joel Barlow this week qualifies Newtown for the CIAC tournament, which begins in late May.

LaFrancesca credited senior Heather Morgan for her fine play behind the plate and at the plate this season. The catcher is considered to be one of the league’s top defensive catchers and has thrown out more than her share of would-be base stealers in her two years as a starter.

On Monday, Newtown hosts Foran, then travels to Weston on Wednesday. It will then head to Kolbe Cathedral in Bridgeport to close out the regular season next Thursday.