Hudson Catholic looking to power its way to postseason
By Ken Powers Community Reporter

Hudson - The Hudson Catholic High School softball team is looking to get back to where it once belonged - the Central Mass. Division 3 final.

Inconsistency has led to a 3-5 start entering play this week, but longtime coach Mark Wentworth is optimistic that his Green Wave players have the intestinal fortitude necessary to turn the season around and qualify for the postseason for the first time since 2005.

"I feel like we're right there, we're close," Wentworth said. "We've been in just about every game and we could easily be 5-3 instead of 3-5 if we were just a little bit more consistent. But we're getting there. They're tough kids. They want to get better. They really want to win. We're improving every time out."

Hudson Catholic is an enigma of sorts: the team is both experienced, with five seniors and four juniors on the roster, and young, with an eighth-grader, three freshmen and three sophomores.

Seniors on the team are catcher Lauren Pollard, infielder-outfielder Colleen Farrington, outfielder-second baseman Kristin Carmichael, outfielder Caleigh Perkins and first baseman Deidre Mc- Mahon.

Shortstop Shauna Geaghan leads the parade of juniors on the team, a parade that includes third baseman Emily Barrett and twin sisters Ashley and Brittany Carnes.

Pitchers Logan Harrington and Amanda Mauro and second baseman-outfielder Katie Mauro are the sophomores on the squad, while centerfielder Jasmin Volpe, second baseman Angela Mauro (Katie's cousin) and corner outfielder Olivia Barrett (Emily's sister) are freshmen. The eighth-grader is Marie Hydro.

Harrington and Hydro have split the pitching duties thus far.

"Both players are pitching well, although they've each been a little inconsistent and have struggled with some wildness," Wentworth said. "Logan worked all off -season to adjust to the rule change that moved the pitching rubber back from 40 to 43 feet away home plate, so that hasn't aff ected her at all. It hasn't really aff ected either of them. It's been a non-issue for us to this point."

One of the keys to the Green Wave's season will be the play of Pollard.

"She is definitely the key for us," Wentworth said. "She hasn't started to hit yet, but she will. Behind the plate she's been just super, having picked off four runners who wandered too far off the bag at third base. She's cut down 80 percent of the runners trying to steal second base on her, too."

Hydro has paced the off ense so far, batting .433 from the leadoff spot. Volpe has provided some unexpected pop in the No. 2 spot, having already clubbed a pair of home runs.

Speed is a weapon for the Green Wave, too. Volpe is the speediest player on the team, but she is followed by Geaghan and the Mauros, who are also fleet of foot.

"That's a weapon we haven't had too much of lately," Went- worth said, "but I think it's something we'll be able to use to our advantage. If we can get these girls on and get them in scoring position, I think we have the power in the middle of the lineup to drive them in."