Monroe softball team needs timeout from losing

By: Carolyn M. Hartko
   In real estate, the most important factors are location, location and location. In sports, it’s timing, timing, and timing. For the Monroe Township High School varsity softball team, it’s time to re-set the clock.
   In Wednesday’s home game against South Plainfield, the Lady Falcons (0-4) had a few hits, and a few lucky breaks, but those innings always ended with runners stuck on base. The Tigers (2-1) on the other hand, manufactured runs in the first and fifth innings to earn a 2-0 victory in the Greater Middlesex Conference White Division contest.
   "We’ve played well defensively for our first four games," Falcon head coach Keith Hudak said. "But we’ve made a mistake or two that hurt us. For the most part, I’m very pleased with us defensively. But we need timely hits. We’ve got to get a timely hit when we’ve got runners on second or third, or we’ve got bases loaded. We’re just not getting the hits then."
   The most painful inning from this point of view for the Falcons was the sixth. The first batter up was out on a bunt, but the next three got on. Laura Gibbons sent a grounder past first, and Jackie Varacallo kept things going with another single. Senior left fielder Danielle Payne smacked a hit to left center field to load the bases. The luck ended there as Alexa Cosentino and Danielle Cocuzza each flied out to right field.
   In some respects, the fact that Monroe’s losses have all been close is more frustrating than if they had been blowouts.
   "We’ve played well the first four games of the season," Hudak said. "We just haven’t played well enough. We keep missing a key hit, making a key mistake here and there, and giving up a few runs. We’ve been in the games, with a possibility of winning all four games. But we just haven’t done that one thing that we needed to do."
   EXTRA INNINGS: Jen Senz pitched the whole game for South Plainfield, giving up four hits while striking out two in the shutout. Falcon hurler Brittany Salvatore scattered seven hits and fanned five, allowing two unearned run . . . Next week will mark five games in five days, as everyone tries to make up for games lost to bad weather earlier in the season. Monroe will host North Brunswick at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, and Friday’s road game is also in the morning. The remainder of the games are at 3:45 p.m.