Sandy Hook, CT — The ultimate remedy for the disappointment of a walk-off loss: the thrill of a walk-off win. Newtown High School’s baseball team followed up a 2-1 setback to host Weston, an extra inning game that lasted into the tenth inning when a Weston home run ended it on April 12, with a 5-4 win over visiting Pomperaug of Southbury on April 17. The Nighthawks erased a 3-0 deficit, then overcame a 4-3 Pomperaug lead in the seventh inning by scratching out a couple of runs to win it in the bottom of the seventh. In that decisive frame, Newtown loaded the bases on a Sam D’Aprile four-pitch walk, Josh Rosen’s line drive single to left center, and an error that allowed Yarema Stasyshyn to reach base. Will Burns was hit by a pitch to force in the tying run. Pomperaug turned a ground ball into a force out at home, and a strikeout pushed Newtown to its final out of the inning as the Panthers looked to get this one into extra frames. Evan Nikolis worked the count full before drawing a walk, which forced in the winning run — a walk-off win in more ways than one. “Baseball’s just a funny game,” said Newtown Coach Ian Thoesen, noting that his Nighthawks hit several line drives at fielders in a hard-luck loss to Weston before getting only one ball out of the infield in that two-run seventh to stun Pomperaug. “They’re resilient,” Thoesen said of his players. “I love the way we battled. We’ve been battling all season.” Newtown, 5-3 after beating Bethel 1-0 on Wednesday,, has been involved in five games decided by just one run. Sure, it was not a homer, clean hit, or even a hit at all that drove in the tying or winning runs in the win over Pomperaug, but baseball teams will tell you a bloop looks like a line drive in the box score and a run is a run when all is said and done. “That’s how baseball is. Take the runs how you can get ‘em,” said Burns, who started on the mound and struck out 15 batters in six innings of work. Burns allowed three runs, just one earned, on four hits, and walked two; he wiggled out of a first and third, one-out jam in the sixth with the game tied at 3-3. Burns contributed at the plate with a key single and RBI. Rosen collected two hits, two walks, an RBI, and run scored. Nikolis had a pair of hits, including a double, a walk, and a run batted in. Stasyshyn had a hit, walk, and run scored. Nick Tetrault had a pair of stolen bases and Danny Leyva and Nikolis also swiped bases. A line drive double play thwarted one Nighthawk rally, but the offense kept plugging away. Trailing 3-0 in the third, the Hawks scored twice, then tied the score in the fifth, when Burns plated a run with a single. “It feels great. We had our chances throughout the game. The guys came through when it really mattered,” Burns added. “We had quality at bats — put the ball in play.” “Winning’s tough — it’s very tough,” Thoesen said. Newtown’s coach noted that not only the starters but players who came off the bench to pinch run, contributed in this game and have assisted Newtown throughout the early going this spring. “It’s a program. Everybody plays a role in it,” Thoesen said. In the Weston game, Finn Geissler pitched 6.2 innings, allowing only one run on three hits, striking out five, and issuing one walk. Reid Burns drove in the lone Nighthawk run. Stasyshyn and D’Aprile both stole two bases and Geissler and Rosen each had a steal. Sports Editor Andy Hutchison can be reached at [email protected]. https://www.newtownbee.com/04212023/walk-off-win-hawk-sluggers-bounce-back-versus-panthers/