66.0°,
Overcast Carey looks to get bats going
Carey will match up with many of the county’s top softball teams in 2011. The Lady Seahawks bring a relatively inexperienced team to the diamond to face East Meadow, Long Beach, Massapequa, Mepham, MacArthur, Farmingdale, and Syosset in Nassau Conference AA-I.
Coach Anthony Turco hopes his team, off to 2-5 start, will see its dormant offensive attack come to life. “We’re not getting timely hits, but I believe we will start to hit,” said Turco, who is assisted by Kerri Harris. “It’s a work in progress,” he added. “Due to our past success, the expectations are high. The girls are frustrated. They’re not used to struggling.”
For the first time in a decade, Carey will not have a Callahan in the lineup. Patti Callahan, who is now playing at SUNY-Geneseo, went 10-3 with a 0.65 ERA and 146 strikeouts for the Lady Seahawks last spring. Her departure left Carey with big shoes to fill in the circle.
Things got a little dicey for the Lady Seahawks when Dana Rella, who figured to be their top pitcher, went down with an injury. Sophomore Ashley Turato and her sister Jenna, and eighth-grader, will handle most of the pitching duties. Neither of the two will blow batters away, but both are more than capable of keeping hitters off balance.
Two-year starter Brenda Hardman works behind the plate. Hardman has a good rapport with the young pitchers, a good arm, and has been hitting the ball well.
Brianne Catalano, an All-County performer as a junior, gets things started at the top of the lineup. The senior shortstop got the season off to a good start with three hits in a non-league win over New Hyde Park.
Senior first baseman Bianca Iaquinta, a four-year starter, is the glue to the infield. Turco believes she’s one of the best defensive players at her position in the county. If Catalano and Iaquinta reach base, the offense should take off.
Jessica Doria, an All-County honoree, hits third. Doria doubled, tripled, and smacked a two-run homer in the win over New Hyde Park. With Melissa Deleon out for the season with an injury, Doria moves from left field to center.
