Baseball notebook

After a relatively quiet first half, the SWC has suddenly gone from Bunnell's league to lose to anybody's league to win. The league has Newtown and Masuk to thank.

After enduring some of the league's highest turnover of players in the offseason, the border rivals have recovered from plodding starts and, with key victories over Bunnell this week, have pushed their way among and atop the league standings.

After starting the season 3-2, Masuk went on a seven-game winning streak, capped by a 10-2 victory over Bunnell on Monday. Despite a 6-2 loss to Stratford on Wednesday, the Panthers rebounded with a 7-6 win over Pomperaug on Thursday and are 13-4 and in second place in the SWC with an 8-2 mark.

As good as Masuk has been, Newtown might be more impressive. It was 2-3 to start the season, but went on a six-game win streak at midseason. With Wednesday's 5-4 win over Bunnell (which snapped an eight-game losing streak to the Bulldogs) and a 13-7 non-league win in eight innings over Weston on Thursday, the Nighthawks are 10-4. They are in first place in the SWC at 7-1.

Newtown lost seven regular starters from last season, including team ace and slugger Ryan McGrath, now at Wake Forest, and Mike Tibbets.

But led by senior shortstop Alex Magoulas, a three-year starter who leads the team with a .440 batting average, and newcomers such as pitcher Nick Saviano (3-1) and sophomore catcher Brandon Rosenberger, the Nighthawks are actually ahead of where they were last season.

"We've far exceeded our expectations in the preseason," said Newtown coach Carl Strait, whose team faces Pomperaug in a key SWC game in Cooperstown, N.Y., on Saturday. "We thought if we went 9-11 and 10-10, that would be realistic.

"Last year it was McGrath and Tibbetts and then everybody else. This year we don't have any of those D-1 superstars. But our team, from day one, has been all about the team. The way we've played has been a pleasant surprise."

A testament to those sentiments has been Saviano, who was cut from the team his junior year.

"But he just really loves baseball and worked his tail off in the offseason to become one of the top five pitchers in the league," Strait said.

The same goes for P.J. Cochrane, a basketball player by trade (he'll be a team manager at UConn next season). The senior outfielder has done quite well, batting .330.

Though Rosenberger is only a sophomore, Strait said he's been the heart and soul of the team. Junior Jake Devellis is batting .420 and has three saves. Senior captain Greg Rodden, a No. 3 starter last year, has become a go-to guy. Given the team's toughest pitching matchups, he is 2-3.

Last season, Newtown was three outs away from securing the program's first top seed in the SWC tournament, but lost thanks to a Weston rally on the last day of the regular season.

Strait, however, said his team doesn't feel too much pressure to right last year's wrongs. "Just being right where are is special since we were just hoping to make the state tournament," he said. "They've surprised themselves which is nice."

MASUK'S BACK — Masuk's midseason revival should come as no surprise. The Panthers, after all, have the league's best record over three seasons and have appeared in the last three SWC title games (winning in 2006).

But since starting the season 3-2, Masuk has been just as impressive despite returning just three regular starters — outfielder Nick Fico, Tom Coppola and Hunter Phillips — from last year's SWC runner-up.

"We started off a little bit slow, but some of that had to do with guys having no varsity experience," coach Ralph Franco said. "We just took the attitude that we would try to get better and better every day."

The Panthers have gotten better with an offense that has more than 40 extra base hits, including nine home runs, and scored 10 or more runs in five of its seven straight victories.

Fico leads the team with a .490 batting average. Coppola and Phillips are batting above .300. Joe Horn, who saw limited time last year, is the biggest surprise with a .390 average.

Yet the key, Franco said, has been the emergence of senior righty Mike Lucas, who has effectively filled the role vacated by graduated all-state pitcher Ted Hurvul, now starring at UConn. Senior Brandon Dutch (3-2) has done the same as the No. 2 pitcher, replacing three-year vet Nick Potoliccio.

Lucas, who pitched in limited spots last season, is 4-0 with a 2.06 ERA. His breakout performance was a 4-2 non-league win over Bethel, in which Lucas outdueled Bethel ace Matt Barnes and won the game with a home run. "Between Hurvul and Potoliccio, we lost 33 pitching wins from the previous two seasons," Franco said. "It makes it easier to replace when guys like Mike Lucas step up. He has definitely established himself as our go-to guy and not only a premier pitcher in our league, but maybe in our state."

Masuk, which played Pomperaug on Thursday, has four games left, including the season finale at Newtown. Franco's only real concern has been errors. His team committed four in the fifth inning of Wednesday's loss to Stratford.

Still, Franco said, "We definitely feel like we're one of the top four teams right now. We're hoping to finish strong and get a home game for the league playoffs." EXTRA BASES — Shelton's scheduled home game Monday against Amity was postponed following the death of school housemaster Tom Gersz, who died of a heart attack at age 44. The game will be played Tuesday night at 7. ... The top seed in the FCIAC race is coming down to which of the league's hottest teams, Stamford or Fairfield Ludlowe, cools off first. Ludlowe has won 14 straight (going into play Thursday night against rival Fairfield Warde) since it opened the year with a non-league loss to Notre Dame-Fairfield. It is 12-0, a half-game and tiebreaker ahead of Stamford (15-1, 13-1). The Black Knights have won nine straight since losing 4-3 to Ludlowe on April 16. Ludlowe has 10-4 Westhill (today) and 12-2 Trumbull (Monday) before finishing with Bassick and Danbury. Stamford has Trumbull, Danbury, Bassick and New Canaan. With games against both Stamford and Ludlowe, third-place Trumbull has a chance to overtake both for the top seed.

WHO'S HOT? — Platt Tech (14-2): Since opening the season 0-2, losing to West Haven and Wilcox Tech, the Panthers have won 14 straight while outscoring their CSC opponents 215-41.

WHO'S NOT — Barlow: Beginning with a tough-luck 1-0 loss to Bunnell, the Falcons have lost 11 in a row.

Sean Patrick Bowley covers baseball. He can be reached at 330-6210.

THE WEEK'S BEST
-Chris Renzoni, Seymour — Struck out nine and walked one in five innings to up his record to 6-0. Also drove in seven runs with three hits, including a grand slam and three-run homer, in a 14-0 win over Woodland.
-Mike Lucas, Masuk — Pitched a complete game with six strikeouts to improve to 4-0 and had three RBIs in Masuk's 9-2 victory over Bunnell. n Tom Booth, Foran — Had four hits, scored three times and drove in three runs in a 19-6 win over Hand.
-Sam Ditchkus, St. Joseph — Went 2-for-3 with a home run, three runs scored and two RBIs as St. Joseph defeated Greenwich 9-4.
-Tyrell Ballard, Fairfield Prep — Had three hits, three RBIs and scored twice in a 13-9 win over Hamden that snapped a 10-game losing streak.
-Mike Samela, Staples — Had three hits, including a homer, and five RBIs in a 17-4 win over Immaculate.

GAMES TO WATCH
-Trumbull at Stamford, today, 4
-Pomperaug vs. Newtown at Cooperstown, N.Y., Saturday, 5
-Fairfield Ludlowe at Trumbull, Monday, 4
-Amity at Shelton, Tuesday, 7
-Notre Dame-WH vs. Amity, at Old Tavern Complex, Orange, Wednesday, 7
-Stratford at Bunnell, Thursday, 3:45
-Masuk at Newtown, Thursday, 7