Monroe rebounds after tough beginning

By: Lance Manion
   With a lineup consisting of three freshmen, three sophomores and only two seniors, Monroe softball coach Keith Hudak had no idea what to expect from his team this season.
   Despite the graduation of his starting pitcher and best hitter from a 15-11 club a year ago, Hudak believed his team had talent.
   "That first practice," he recalled, "I just went out and put everybody at a different position and told them, "There’s no pressure. Let’s just have fun this season.’ "
   But fun wasn’t the first three days of the season, when the Falcons lost their first two games without scoring a run. Hudak didn’t let his young players dwell on it; he told them they had simply lost to the two best teams, J.F. Kennedy and South Plainfield, in their league.
   Again, he said, "Let’s just have fun."
   The Falcons responded in a big way last Tuesday, rebounding with a 6-4 win over Woodbridge, another team expected to compete in the ultra-tough GMC White Division.
   "You couldn’t ask for anything better than the way we bounced back," Hudak said. "We went out and scored five runs in the first inning."
   That 5-0 advantage, however, was short-lived as the Barrons responded with four runs in the bottom of the first. But pitcher Katie Merrick shut the door after that, retiring the final 17 batters of the game to lead the Falcons to their first victory.
   "Katie was excellent," Hudak said. "The way she responded after giving up the four runs early really showed me something."
   That figures to be Hudak’s mantra all season. Pardon Hudak if he uses the Forest Gump refrain from time to time this season because the Falcons, a team chock full of underclassmen, are like a box of chocolates — ‘you never know what you’re gonna get’ from game to game.
   "I really enjoy coaching this team," Hudak said. "It’s a challenge, but it’s really intriguing because there’s a lot of talent. It just might take a little longer for us to get it going."
   After getting shutout its first two contests, Monroe’s bats erupted to the tune of eight hits against Woodbridge. Carly Keane produced an RBI single and Michelle Forman followed with a two-run hit in the opening stanza.
   But the biggest thumper in the Falcons lineup through three games has been third baseman Andrea Carrini. The freshman is 5-for-9 on the young season.
   "It’s a long season and I told them there’s really no shame in losing our first two games," said Hudak, who expects his team to compete with Carteret, J.F. Kennedy, South Plainfield, Sayreville and Colonia in the White this spring. "We lost to a pair of quality teams, but the way we responded was nice to see."