Losing graduating seniors is bad enough. But losing the person projected to be your No. 1 pitcher? Now that can really mess up your plans.And that’s the dilemma facing Saugus softball coach Bobbie Finocchio this spring. Pitcher Ashlee Patterson, who burst onto the scene as a seventh-grade phenom with St. Mary’s – and even pitched a no-hitter in the state tournament that spring – has chosen not to play her senior season.Naturally, this has thrown Finocchio’s plans for a loop. She’s had to find another pitcher (she thinks she’s found two, and both from the same family), and is already talking about getting more offense from the troops to compensate.Finocchio had to make do without Patterson at the end of last season, when the pitcher came down with tonsillitis and missed the last two weeks, plus the tournament. So it isn’t an entirely new situation.Still ?”I think it hurts us not to have her,” she said. “We’ll just have to work on our hitting. We’ll need to step up our offense, and be more consistent.”Finocchio hopes the Lowe sisters – Nicole (sophomore) and Stephanie (senior) can pick up the slack.”They complement each other,” she said. “Nicole has more zip on the ball, but Stephanie throws strikes, and is consistent. They’ve worked very hard in the off-season.”There’s still a pretty solid nucleus for the Sachems, who went 11-9 last spring and lost to Tewksbury in the first round of the tournament. Shortstop Lauren Garchinsky “is our heart and soul,” says Finocchio. She can also expect leadership out of first baseman Kelsey Sturgis, second baseman/outfielder Elizabeteh Shaw, and seniors Chelsea Cole, Jackie Doherty and Ashley DiChiara.There will be some competition at catcher. One of the candidates is Megan Joyce, who played as a sophomore, but didn’t come out last year.”She came out this year,” Finocchio said. “It was quite a surprise. She’s got a great attitude and we’re lucky to have her.”The other catcher is Gina Reppucci, a junior, who “is kind of a utility player, too,” Finocchio said. “She’s pretty versatile.”Other players to watch, she says, are Allie Cooper, who is primarily an infielder with “a great bat;” Rachel Forgione, a “solid infielder,” who will probably play third base; and Melissa Orlowski, a senior, who was on the JVs last year. Helping to keep it all together on the bench is Jill Kotowski, the team manager.”Essentially, we’re going to be a pretty solid team,” Finocchio said. “We’re set a short (Garchinsky), first (Sturgis) and third (Forgione). Other positions I’m still playing with.”We have some good outfielders,” she said, “so I’m not nervous about that. I think we’re going to be OK, as long as our pitchers can throw strikes.”We have some competition in a few different positions, which is good,” she said. “It creates some inner workings, and I think it’s a positive thing. Whoever works the hardest is going to play.”