Hawk Sluggers Average 13 Runs In First Three Games

By Andy Hutchison

Who says 13 is a bad number? Members of the Newtown High School baseball team like it just fine after averaging 13 runs in their first three games of the campaign.

The Nighthawks opened the season with a 12-8 loss to Pomperaug in Southbury on April 7, but followed up the defeat with a 13-2 thumping of Platt Tech and 14-6 win over Ansonia, each at home, April 8 and 10, respectively.

In the loss to Pomperaug, George Zaruba was 2-for-4 with a solo home run and Andy Lapple was 2-for-3.

Against Platt Tech, junior Chris Haylon entered the game in the second inning, retired 11 straight batters and had eight strikeouts in 52/3 innings pitched. Kyle Kromberg had two hits, including a double, Evan Noonan had two triples and two runs batted in, Lapple had three hits including a double, Zaruba had a double, and RJ Roman had two hits including a double.

“I think my fastball was sharp. We stuck mainly with my fastball and I was hitting my spots,” Haylon said, adding that offensive support is a nice bonus for a pitcher. “It’s always nice. The offense did a great job. Everybody backs everybody up — hitting’s contagious.”

Against Ansonia, Newtown continued its hard-hitting ways to kick off 2010. Pitcher Joe Fedak had five strikeouts and got the win behind plenty offensive support. Lapple and Bryan Czel had three hits each and three and four RBI, respectively. Lapple scored four times, Zaruba had a triple, Ryan Powers delivered two hits including a double, and John Fracker had two hits including a double.

Newtown’s first-year coach Matt Memoli expected big things from the offense but has been impressed with the early-season success up and down the lineup.

“I feel like the approach we’re taking up there is pretty good. I feel like we’re trying to do a lot using the middle of the field, opposite field — not just going up there trying to pull the ball every time,” he said.