By Joseph Staszewski
Mary Louis Coach Ginny Peiser has had a hard time evaluating her softball team this season.
The Hilltoppers started out slow, especially with the bats, during the cold weather of March. As it grew warmer, their lineup heated up and claimed wins over Archbishop Molloy and division power St. Francis Prep. Putting it all together consistently has been the problem with a roster of players stepping into new and bigger roles.
“We are very inconsistent on both ends, defense and offense,” Peiser said. “We will have a couple [players] be hot, but not at the same time. So we are not getting that big hit.”
The biggest change has been the awakening of their bats, after going scoreless in their first three league games. Peiser said limited practices outside hurt them and the Hilltoppers don’t have a gym that allows them to take indoor batting practice. Since the weather and practices improved, the offense has clicked. TMLA scored six runs in the wins over St. Francis Prep and Molloy and hung tough in all three games with Fontbonne Hall.
“It’s really been a tough season to practice for every team,” Peiser said. “I think we are a little more hurt … because we don’t have an indoor facility to use.”
Senior third baseman Sam Rossi and junior catcher Katherine Barbaro have been two of the team’s most consistent hitters. Louisa Conway is coming out of a slump along with Nicole Hubert, who hit a grand slam in a recent loss to Christ the King.
Hubert, who is in her third year in the circle, has been brilliant at times, including an 18-strikeout performance in a no-hitter against Francis Lewis, but has been hit harder than Peiser expected. Her strikeouts are still coming at a strong clip.
Peiser knows there is still time for things to come together for the playoffs as all the pieces for success have been there at different points in the season. She is waiting for her lineup to be completely healthy, as injuries have caused people to be in and out and require some reshuffling. They are getting healthy at the right time.
“Everybody is back, everybody seems OK,” Peiser said.
