The Newtown Naturals Cal Ripken Baseball team is participating in the 8U State Tournament at Glander Fields this week.

After losing to Danbury on July 8, the Naturals got their first taste of victory with a 6-4 win over Easton as the double-elimination tournament continued the next day.

The team received superb pitching performances from Antonio Arguello (two innings, six strikeouts, one run allowed), Kieran Frieary (two innings, five strikeouts, one run), and an exceptional relief performance from Liam O'Neil (two innings, three strikeouts, two runs). O'Neil came on in relief in the fifth inning with the bases loaded and no outs and struck out two batters before throwing out a runner at home on a comebacker.

With the win, the Naturals earned another game, a July 10 battle with Stratford. It was another nail-biter, against a scrappy opponent, and the Naturals won 14-13.

In this back-and-forth game, Newtown trailed 12-9 at the end of the fifth inning but scored five runs in the frame for a 14-12 lead. In the top of the sixth and final inning, with Stratford trailing 14-13 and the bases loaded and two outs, Frieary struck out the batter on a 3-2 count for the final out.

Newtown's bats came alive in this game. Brooks Fischer (three hits), Arguello, Frieary, and Liam O'Neil (each with two hits), Henry Laughlin (triple), and Cooper Costallos (one hit, four RBI) all had big days at the plate. For the second game in a row, both Arguello (two innings, one run) and Frieary pitched superbly. The team earned the right to play New Canaan on Wednesday, July 11, at 5:30 pm, with the winner facing Danbury in the championship round on Thursday, July 12, also at 5:30.