By: Lance Manion
The formula is all too familiar for Keith Hudak. Monroe High School’s softball coach will see his team get the first two outs in the opening inning before struggling to get that final out. Before he knows it, the opposing team rallies with two down to take an early lead.
"We’ve really had a tough time getting out of the first inning without giving up runs," Hudak said. "The frustrating part is we’re usually getting the first two outs and then we just can’t get out of the inning. That two-out thing has been one of the strangest things I’ve ever seen."
Monroe split a pair of games last week to see its record go to 3-5 for the season. Lindsey Curran helped the Falcons top Marlboro, 7-5, on April 12 by going 3-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored, while Carly Keane earned her first win of the spring. Lisa Varacallo, a senior second baseball, contributed two hits in the non-conference victory.
"It was good to score some runs, that’s for sure," Hudak said. "To be honest, we were waiting for a game like that where everybody contributed. We needed a game like that to get our confidence back."
Games outside the Greater Middlesex Conference, Hudak believes, are extra important this season considering the White Division is as strong as it has been in years.
"There aren’t many easy games on our schedule," said Hudak, whose team is 2-4 in its league with wins over Woodbridge and New Brunswick and losses to South Plainfield, J.F. Kennedy, Carteret and Colonia. "We’ve been struggling a bit, but to tell you the truth we haven’t played any slouches. If you look at the season right now, we’re a team that I think is still trying to find itself."
Hudak points to six freshmen and sophomores sprinkled throughout his lineup as a reason his team has struggled against the White Division top teams. But he also points out that a few of his underclassmen players such as Curran, Keane and freshman Andrea Carrini have been his top performers. Curran, a sophomore shortstop, leads the Falcons with a .450 batting average.
"She’s leading us in pretty much every offensive category," Hudak said. "Mai’Lee (Paselio), Lisa (Varacallo) have also hit the ball for us, but we’ve had a tough time producing runs so far. We definitely need more consistency throughout our lineup."
Then again, Hudak notes the offense wasn’t the only problem in the Falcons’ most recent 5-0 loss to Colonia. The White Division-leading Patriots scored twice in the first inning and never looked back as the Falcons mustered just one hit against sophomore hurler Adrian Rastocny.
"We had a tough time getting out of the first inning," Hudak said. "If we can just get through that opening inning without giving up runs, I think we’ll be fine, but it’s awfully tough having to play from behind again and again."
The good news for Monroe is Hudak expects the schedule to get easier in the next week. Remember, it was Hudak who said before the season that the young and inexperienced Falcons will need time to grow, but should get better as the spring goes along.
So far, the fourth-year coach hasn’t seen any evidence that his team won’t be fare better in the latter half of the season.
"The good thing is we’re still 3-5," Hudak said. "One good week and we could be over .500. I think it’s certainly possible that this team will benefit from this experience the second time around the (White Division) schedule."

