Softball headed into the game May 20 against Benilde St. Margaret’s with the hopes of getting revenge from their last game. Unfortunately, Park ended with a loss of 1-10. According to sophomore Ella Nguyen, the team had high expectations that it didn’t meet. 

“We were all really eager to play this game,” Nguyen said. “The first time we played them this season we lost [to] them, so we felt that this time we could really do it.”

Coach Chris Gabler said the girls were excited to play against their rival, but the energy didn’t last very long. 

“I thought we’d play pretty well today,” Gabler said. “At the start their mindset was pretty good, and then it wasn’t.”

According to senior captain Victoria Schmelzle, the team wasn’t competitive and handed the win over to Benilde St.  Margaret’s.  

“It went [terribly]. We showed up and we let them walk all over us. We should have at least been able to compete and we didn’t,” Schmelzle said. “That’s frustrating for everybody.”

Although the game ended in a loss, a highlight was the pitchers’ perseverance, according to Nguyen. 

“Our pitchers are very young and I felt that they did a very good job, just staying in the game and doing the best that they could,” Nguyen said.

Schmelze said the team needs to work on correcting their mistakes before they are used against them. 

“If there’s an error, we just need to stop right there and not let our innings turn into a rabbit hole of runs against us,” Schmelzle said. 

With the team heading into Sections May 23, Gabler said the team needs to put the season behind them and treat Sections like a fresh start. 

“[We have to] flush the regular season now. We just got to treat it like it’s brand new [and] start all over,” Gabler said. “Everybody’s zero and zero.”

Park will compete in its second Sections game at Pamela Park May 25.