Milton High Softball Takes Season-Opener, Drops Next Two

With nearly an entire new infield to work with, softball coach RJ Maturo certainly has challenges facing him. Not only have the Wildcats gotten off to a slow 1-2 start to the season, but also have dealt with an injury to ace pitcher Brenna Callahan.

Following a 13-1 season opening win over Brookline, the Wildcats were in a 1-1 duel against Norwood when Callahan suffered a bruised hand off a line drive in the fifth inning. After further tests and X-Rays, no bones were broken and Callahan was just diagnosed with a bone bruise. Nevertheless, the Wildcats suffered a 6-1 defeat to the Mustangs followed by Friday’s 9-0 defeat to Brockton in a non-conference affair.

“We thought it was broken, and if that was the case, then she probably would miss a good portion of the season,’’ said Maturo, who’s now coaching his eighteenth season. “Luckily for us, it was just a bone bruise and nothing major happened. The prognosis is good, and we’re looking for her to return to the mound next week, because we have a big week ahead of us.”

After qualifying for the Division 1 South tournament with a 14-8 mark last year, the Wildcats suffered an early exit with a to arch-rivals Braintree.

Now with the majority of the squad lost to graduation, Maturo is in the process of finding the missing pieces to the puzzle.

“We have some new people that haven’t had a lot of varsity experience,’’ said Maturo. “We do have some people coming back though, and I’m hoping they’re going to be able to help us and work with the younger players on the team. We have a tough schedule, and the girls know that, so we have to go out there and play our best games every time we take to the field.”

Leading the way are senior co-captains Abby Macomber and Callahan, who emerged as the driving force of the Wildcats during last season’s run. Macomber is designated to man the first base bag while Callahan, who despite her injury, will remain the Wildcats’ ace pitcher.

“Callahan was pitching great up until she got hit in the hand,’’ said Maturo. “We’ll see how she is in the next couple of days and we’ll take it from there. So far, things are looking promising that she’ll be right back on the mound.”

Other key returning athletes for the squad include junior catcher Christa Banks along with junior third baseman Erin Carmody. Junior Colleen Ryan is slated to hold down second base while freshman Julianne Cosetta has held the fort at the shortstop position.

“Half of our infield is pretty new, and Cosetta has a lot of raw talent,’’ said Maturo. “She’s got a lot of potential to become a great high school softball player, but we’re just taking things one step at a time. I’ve been very encouraged with the progress I’ve seen from her so far.”’

For the outfield, the Wildcats will be led by junior Haley Button and sophomore Caroline Fahey, who will split time in left field followed by Holly Farmer in right field. Also rounding out the outfield are juniors Amy Maher, Morgan Askins and senior Lily Escato.

Off the bench and serving as utility players for the Wildcats are junior Danielle Cavey and senior Angela Lambert.

Filling in for the injured Callahan on the mound has been sophomore Sydney Fitzgerald, who’s managed to weather the storm.

“The outfield has looked pretty strong so far, and we just have to find a way to put it all together,’’ said Maturo. “We’ve only played three games, but we still have a lot of softball left to be played.”

In the pre-season, the Wildcats participated in two jamborees, which involved scrimmages against Taunton, Cardinal Spellman as well as Burlington and Division 1 State defending champions King Phillip Regional.

“We played a lot of scrimmages in the pre-season to get the girls as prepared as possible,’’ said Maturo. “We were hoping for a stronger start, but hopefully, we’ll be able to turn things around.”

After cruising to a 13-1 win over Brookline, the Wildcats succumbed in a 6-1 defeat to Norwood before falling to Brockton.

“In the Brockton game, we took to the field like we had already lost before the game started,’’ said Maturo. “We didn’t have a great approach, and as a result, we paid the price for it.”

With Callahan on the mend, the Wildcats will aim to snap their recent game losing skid this week when they’ll host Dighton-Rehoboth on Wednesday followed by Brockton on Thursday and Mansfield on Saturday.

“This is a very important week for us,’’ said Maturo. “I believe we can possibly win at least two out of the next three games in this stretch. We’re playing some tough teams, but I’m confident that we can stand to the challenge.”