Marblehead softball team hopes experience pays off

MARBLEHEAD – The good news for the Marblehead High softball team is that just about everyone is back. The bad news for the rest of the Northeastern Conference is that the Marblehead High softball team has just about everyone back.The Magicians are coming off a banner season that saw them win the NEC South and post the best record (16-4) in the conference overall. Pitcher Courtney Colantuno, the 2007 Item Player of the Year, is back on the mound and she’s flanked by seven other returning starters.”We should be fine,” coach John Gold said. ” The kids are older, more mature, and they know what to expect.”Last year, Marblehead had a bye in the first round of the Division 2 North tournament, beat NEC rival Saugus in the first round, 2-1, and lost to Central Catholic in the quarterfinals, 9-3.Colantuno, who will be heading to Bowdoin College next fall, has a supporting cast that includes Mandy James, an all-star center fielder and tri-captain who also plays soccer and hockey. Another conference all star, Ashley White, returns at third base and junior Sam Norman, who hit .400 last year, is back in left field. She can also play second base.The Magicians should also pack some power with the bats with Colantuno hitting third and shortstop Katherine Fallon in the clean-up spot.”She (Fallon) is a very good ballplayer,” Gold said.Senior Laura Kanarski returns at first base. She’s also a three-sport athletes (soccer, basketball and softball).”She’s a very quiet kid, unassuming, but she just gets the job done,” Gold said.Silvie Cohen, who started in the outfield as a freshman, returns with a year of experience under her belt. Junior Liz Whitehill, who played second base last year, is working out behind the plate, as is junior Hannah Pelkey, who caught for the junior varsity last year.Junior Grace Quigley, an outfielder or second baseman, and Stephanie Lyons, a sophomore shortstop/outfielder, will also figure into the mix this year.The Magicians open their season April 9 with a non-league game against Manchester-Essex. They start conference play with Danvers.