By Kim J. Harmon

The light was waning at Glander Field on Monday night, so it was the perfect time for some fireworks.

With the score tied 2-2 and the bases loaded with two outs in the top of the seventh, Joe Fedak took a good 1-0 fastball and smashed it over the centerfield fence to not only lead the Newtown Babe Ruth Baseball 11-and-under All Stars to a State Championship win over Bethel, but also start them on their way to Dover, New Hampshire for the New England Regional Tournament.

Good pitching and even better defense kept the Newtown-Bethel game tight through six innings. And although the locals squandered a wonderful opportunity to break the game open in the fifth inning, they had another opportunity in the seventh and did not let it slip away.

Robbie Blanc (who homered to lead off the fifth) singled to lead off the seventh and Michael Coates followed with a one-out single of his own. Then, with two outs, Kyle Kromberg blooped a single to centerfield that loaded the bags.

And up stepped Fedak.

The stage was set.

The big third baseman had already belted a couple of home runs in the state tournament (one against Bethel, the other against Coventry) and seemed destined to do it again. So, after taking ball one, Fedak took a pitch out across the plate and blasted it well over the centerfield fence to blow the game wide open.

After bedlam erupted, the locals had to settle down because there were still three outs to get in the bottom of the frame and Bethel did not make it easy. Coates, on in relief of Fedak, tussled with his own nerves while walking a couple of batters and allowing a run-scoring single but struck out the number nine hitter to finish it off.

What a game.

Newtown opened the game by grounding out four consecutive times to second base. The locals got their first two hits in the second inning when Nic Nazer and Blanc singled back-to-back, but by that time Bethel had already taken a 1-0 lead.

In the bottom of the third, a leadoff double led to another run and a 2-0 lead for Bethel.

The locals had their work cut out for them.

In the top of the fifth, though, Blanc blasted a ball over the centerfield fence for a home run to cut into the Bethel lead. Kyle O’Connor followed with a single and then went to third on a single by Coates, giving Newtown runners on the corners with no outs.

The chance to break the game open was right there.

But the locals couldn’t grasp it.

Tyler Edwards – in the number nine slot – came to bat and crushed a ball off the rightfield fence. O’Connor scored the tying run, but because the Bethel rightfielder was close enough to catching the ball, Coates had to hold up – which allowed Bethel to trap Edwards in a run down between first and second. After Bethel nailed down that out, a quick relay to home nabbed Coates trying to score.

In the bottom of the frame, Coates allowed a leadoff double, but got the next three hitters to close out the inning. And there was no damage done in the sixth, which led to the dramatic finish in the seventh inning.

Fedak was 2-for-4 with a double, home run and four RBI while Blanc was 3-for-3 with two singles, a home run, two runs scored and an RBI. Coates was 2-for-2 with two singles and an RBI. Edwards and Nazer each went 1-for-3.

George Zaruba,Jeff DiNicola Keith McGrath, Anthony Gruce and Ralph Sergiovanni also had a hand in this win.

And now its on to New Hampshire.