MHS starting to break out

By: Lance Manion
   Keith Hudak isn’t expecting his Monroe High School softball team to turn into a juggernaut overnight. He understands his team is loaded with underclassmen and will likely take its lumps at times this season.
   Yet, Hudak also believes by season’s end the Falcons will mature into a more experienced, better team. Already he’s seen signs of their development, with three wins in five games last week after starting the spring 0-2.
   "We’re going to get better as the season goes along. I understand that," Hudak said. ""All I’m looking for is improvement from one game to the next, and if we do that I think you’ll see a team that’s ready to compete against any team we face by season’s end."
   After getting shut out in their first two games against GMC White Division powers South Plainfield and J.F. Kennedy, the Falcons enjoyed a rout of their own as they blanked New Brunswick, 16-0, on April 6. Mai’Lee Paselio’s three run homer was the big blast as Monroe put up eight runs in the first inning and cruised behind three pitchers tossing a one-hit shutout.
   "That was nice for the team to break out like that," Hudak said. "We were slumping in the beginning and I think we needed a game like that to put those two losses behind us."
   This past week didn’t exactly get off to a rolling start as the Falcons dropped a 7-3 decision to Carteret in GMC White Division play and a 2-1 setback to non-league foe Colts Neck. Paselio, a junior catcher, collected a single and double while scoring the Falcons’ lone run off a sacrifice fly by freshman Andrea Carinni
   Monroe rebounded on Wednesday with a 7-5 win over Marlboro in another non-conference game as Lindsey Curran, a sophomore shortstop, went 3-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. Lisa Varacallo, one of only two seniors in the starting lineup, contributed two hits and an RBI in support of Carly Keane, who earned her first win of the season in the circle.
   The 3-4 start isn’t exactly as surprise to Hudak, the Falcons’ fourth-year coach who expected his team to struggle early in the ultra-competitive GMC White Division. Monroe is 1-3 in its league, but with a lineup featuring six freshmen and sophomores, Hudak doesn’t have too much trouble finding the silver lining.
   "We’re young, but I like the talent we have on this team," said Hudak, whose squad has a five-day break over the holiday weekend before traveling to Colonia this Tuesday. ""This is a fun team to coach because they’re energetic and they want to compete. I like the fact that these girls come to practice every day and want to get better."