Milan Softball Plays Strong in a Win and a Loss

The Big Reds Varsity Softball Team took on Flat Rock and Grosse Ile this past week with strong play at bat, running the bases, at pitcher and in the field being the themes in a win and a loss.

Traveling to Flat Rock on April 7 to take on the Rams, the Big Reds fell 11-6 in what was a chilly game in early spring.

The Sun Times News connected with coach Micah Higa after the game to learn more.

“We came out and competed well, putting up nine hits and taking a 3–1 lead in the third,” Higa said. “It felt like we had momentum, but the fifth inning is where things slipped. Flat Rock put together a big inning to take the lead, and we weren’t able to fully recover from that swing the rest of the way.”

Of the loss, Higa said “This one was tough, especially because we did a lot of things right and still didn’t get the result we wanted.”

“After the game, our team discussion really centered around the idea that softball is the ultimate team sport, but every single individual moment matters,” Higa said. “When you look back, there isn’t just one thing that cost us the game, it’s that each girl who makes up the team and including our coaching staff had an opportunity to do one small thing better, and those moments add up. That’s been our focus, understanding how every role and every play contributes to the bigger picture, and using that as motivation to improve.”

Charleigh Meggison and Alexis Vance led the Big Reds offensively with three hits each with Meggison’s triple in the third being a big spark. Higa said Kenzie Chrysler, Reese Knox, and Kendyll Fell each drove in a run with the team being aggressive on the bases as well. Fell also competed hard in the circle, striking out nine over six innings.

The home game on April 9, against Grosse Ile saw a different result with the Big Reds coming out on top by a score of 20 to 10.

Higa said the Grosse Ile game “definitely turned into a high-scoring one, but it was a great test for us.”

“Grosse Ile came out strong and put up a big first inning, so we had to respond right away,” Higa said. “I was really proud of how our girls answered with a 10-run inning of our own to flip the momentum early.”

Offensively, Milan was clicking from top to bottom.

“We finished with 14 hits, drew 11 walks, and were aggressive on the bases with eight stolen bases, so we were able to keep constant pressure on them,” Higa said. “Lexi Knox had a huge game with five RBIs on four hits, and we had contributions throughout the lineup.”

Defensively and in the circle, Higa said Fell did a great job settling in after that first inning and really shutting things down the rest of the way.

“She gave us the consistency we needed and kept us in control of the game,” Higa said.

Overall, for the Big Reds, it was a good team win in a high-scoring game.

“We did a lot well, especially responding to adversity, but it also gave us some things to clean up as we keep moving forward,” said Higa.