Newtown Softball Stops Short of State Championships

The Newtown High School softball team stormed into Saturday's Class LL championship game against Westhill already having earned 26 consecutive wins and its first conference title in 21 years.

It climbed nearly every hurdle -- except for the last one.

Westhill's first baseman Allison Macari hit a tiebreaking two-out, two-run single in the fifth inning, propelling the team from Stamford to a 4-2 victory for its first state championship since 1992.

Newtown, the tournament's top seed, appeared to have solved Westhill ace pitcher Jen Joseph early. The Nighthawks scored two runs on two hits in the first inning, but the success was short-lived. 

Joseph retired 19 of the next 21 batters she faced, holding Newtown's potent lineup to just four total hits.

"We didn't score after the first inning. You can't win like that," Newtown coach Bob Guerrera said. "Tip your hats off to Westhill for a tremendous season. They're a great team and they came out on the better end of the stick today. They were better than we were today."

With a runner on second base and two outs in the seventh inning, Newtown shortstop Natalie Dunn lined a fastball to center field, which Westhill's Allyson Souza tracked down for the final out.

Westhill players then tossed their gloves in the air and mobbed Joseph in the pitcher's circle in celebration.

"I can't even describe it right now, it's so awesome," Joseph said.

Newtown (26-1) prided itself this season on pitching and defense, and while Katie Bowen was near-dominant in her final high school start, the Nighthawks committed a season-high four errors.

After falling behind 2-0 in the first inning, second-seed Westhill (26-1) quickly responded in the bottom of the inning, scoring two runs on zero hits and two errors.

"To take a 2-0 lead with Katie pitching; if we just defend, I don't think they can get back in the game," Guerrera said. "They made the plays, we didn't make the plays. They scored the runs, we didn't score the runs. I think it's the tale of the tape."

Westhill again capitalized on Newtown's fielding woes in the fifth inning, as two errors put runners on second and third with just one out.

Bowen got the second out on a pop out to third baseman Meghan Gibbons, but Macari delivered the biggest hit of the night and most likely, the season.

Macari, who was named the Most Valuable Player, hit a 2-2 fastball right back through the middle and into center field, scoring Elizabeth Joseph and Julianne Vincent for Westhill's final two runs.

"The difference in the game is, (Newtown) hit the ball hard and it happened to be right at people," Westhill coach Tom Pia said. "We hit a ball hard and that ball that (Macari) hit was that far away from Katie Bowen, otherwise Katie snares it."

Bowen, who finished the year with a 22-1 record, allowed just four hits and struck out six batters in seven innings.

"It's really tough, but we're still 26-1 -- it's still something to be proud of," Bowen said. "No one is going to hold their head and moan -- just because we lost in the state finals doesn't mean what we did gets erased."

Afterward, Guerrera praised his starter's effort in the pitcher's circle.

"She threw the ball tremendous. She can't throw it and catch for us. She threw well enough to win. But unfortunately, we didn't defend that well and they got the big hit when they needed it and that was the game."

Newtown carried the momentum from its nail-biting win over Simsbury in the tournament semifinals into its first at-bat last night. It was aggressive at the plate and on the base paths, as it two stole bases.

After left fielder Monica Macchiarulo singled on a fastball to lead off the game and immediately stole second base, she was sacrificed to third on a bunt.

Macchiarulo scored Newtown's first run on a one-out error and center fielder Jess Gibbons drove in a run with a single to center field.

That would prove to be Newtown's last RBI of the season.

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