During the course of any sporting event, there are numerous things that add up to create the end result. In the case of junior pitcher Sydney Adolfson’s five-inning perfect game, in which Newtown High School’s softball team earned a 12-0 mercy-rule win over visiting New Fairfield in the South-West Conference Tournament’s quarterfinal round at Treadwell Park on May 21, the most significant factor was her sheer dominance. After all, among the 15 outs Adolfson recorded, 13 were via the strikeout.
But the final out was an interesting one. Freshman shortstop Madison Thoesen made a nice play to cleanly field a sharply-hit grounder and threw across the infield. First baseman Caroline Gardner stretched out and did a split to catch the ball just ahead of New Fairfield’s Brianna Puff’s foot touching the bag. Perfect game over. The second-seeded Nighthawks advanced and the seventh-seeded Rebels were left without anybody reaching first base.