Pomperaug High School No. 6, Gillian Stiber, unloaded on a triple in the Lady Panthers’ four-run seventh inning on Thursday as Pomperaug rallied with four runs to pull out a 7-3 win over Newtown. (Ken Morse photo)
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By Ken Morse Special to the Middlebury Bee-Intelligencer
The Pomperaug softball team managed to dodge the raindrops long enough this week to pick up two more wins, improving to 11-3 on the season. On Monday, the Lady Panthers unloaded on Stratford in a 22-0 victory, and on Thursday they got revenge on Newtown, rallying for a 7-3 win.
Monday, the Panthers exploded for nine-run outbursts in the first and second inning to build an 18-0 advantage. Stratford could do little with the offerings of Ashley Antonazzo, who fired a two-hit shutout.
Annabella Pastorok and Gillian Stiber banged out three hits each to lead the attack. Brooke Anderson scored four runs in the five-inning mercy rule win, with Laurel Williams contributing four RBIs.
Sam Wisnefsky, Kaitlin Flood and Pastorok scored three runs each as the Panthers put the game away with a four-run third inning. Emily Winfield added two runs and two RBIs, while Caley Ruggiero added one run and one RBI to complete the offensive display.
“Offensively, we had a big day in Stratford,” said Pomperaug head coach Paul Masotto. “Ashley did her job in the pitcher’s circle, and it was a good win on the road.”
On Thursday, Pomperaug got revenge on Newtown for a 7-1 loss suffered two weeks ago. The Panthers delivered a four-run seventh inning to come away with a 7-3 win.
“That was a big one,” Masotto said. “Probably the turning point of our season. We made some errors and fell behind, but it was a total team effort that helped us to pull this one out.”
The Pomperaug defense was responsible for two unearned runs in the first inning to give Newtown the lead. That proved the catalyst to victory, with the defense pulling off two late-inning double plays to put this one in the win column.
Antonazzo walked the lead-off hitter in the bottom of the seventh before kicking the door closed, inducing a pair of pop-ups and a ground out to secure the win. The junior hurler scattered six hits and struck out three to keep Newtown from making a comeback.
Pomperaug went on top 1-0 in the first inning before the Nighthawks took advantage of a couple of fielding miscues in the bottom of the frame to take a 2-1 advantage.
“We did make some errors in the field,” Masotto said, “but it was our defense that kept Newtown from coming back on us. We got some timely hitting, and one of the younger players we brought up had a big hit in the last inning.”
Pomperaug plated two runs in the top of the fifth only to have Newtown tie the game at 3-3 in the bottom of the inning. Pomperaug coach Masotto was trying to put a little more pop in the bottom of the lineup and brought up junior varsity player Emily Ostar.
After three unsuccessful attempts at the plate, Ostar delivered a game-changing two-run single in the seventh to help secure this game in the win column. Stiber slammed a triple, with Williams and Annie Yacavone belting timely RBI hits.
“We have a tough week ahead of us due to the weather,” said Masotto. “But if Ashley throws the way she did this past week, we should be in every game.
“Kaitlin (Flood) has been running the bases well, and she advanced on a couple of plays that allowed us to take advantage of a few scoring opportunities. We are playing well and it’s been the entire team that has risen to the occasion.”
Pomperaug will certainly be tested this coming week as they take on New Fairfield on the road Monday and have home games Tuesday and Wednesday against Notre Dame of Fairfield and New Milford, respectively, before finishing up the tough stretch on Thursday at Barlow.
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