Softball loses preseason game against Downey 7-2

Hilary DubinStaff WriterAfter a 12 hour journey from Florida back home to Santa Monica, sophomore Frankie Milan arrived at Memorial Park just in time to put on her gear, warm up with the team and start the 3:00 p.m. game against Downey as Samo’s pitcher. Though Samo lost the game 7-2, all seven innings were a battle, and the girls were battling for Milan, who recently lost her grandfather, which was why she was in Florida. “We all wanted to go out and play our hardest for her,” junior Rachel Paris said. “I knew she was having a hard time and I was impressed with how well she dealt with it.” The team played in a tournament on Friday Mar. 16 in which they won one game and lost one. Milan had to leave the tournament on Friday after the game to catch a red-eye flight to Florida for the funeral. After a long weekend with little sleep, Milan returned for the game on Tuesday Mar. 20. “I woke up at 1 a.m. to catch my flight, and was at the airport all day just so I could make the game,” Milan said. “All the traveling and lack of sleep affected my game, but I don’t think that the actions of one player affect the outcome of the game that drastically.” Collectively, the team made multiple errors that resulted in their loss against Downey. However, Milan is optimistic that the team can improve for the season to come. “I think that our team has a lot of potential and that when our hits start to drop and when we start putting good plays together well be successful,” Milan said. “But until then, we have a lot of work to do.”