Both teams’ coaches might agree that there was room for improvement Friday night for both the 10U Blue Jays and Sluggers in their Parks and Recreation Softball League season-opener at Youth Sports Inc., but it would be pretty tough for either team to swing the sticks much stronger.

The two squads combined for 28 runs and a couple of dozen hits in their debut. When the two teams finally dropped their bats at the end of the game it was the Blue Jays who emerged victorious with an 18-10 win.

Blue Jays coach David Carter was most impressed with the strides his players had made between their first practice and first game.

“Every time they practice they improve, they really do,” Carter said. “At the end of the year they’ll really look like professionals.”

In the early innings, double-digit scores appeared to be out of the question for both teams. The Sluggers gained the early advantage, taking a 1-0 lead into the second after a double by Sara Tah that scored Kara Poulson. However, the Sluggers only managed one more run in the next two innings.

After being shut out in the first, the Blue Jays strung together three runs in the bottom of the second to take the lead.

But the Blue Jays had to wait until the third inning before their bats really get rolling, when they posted four runs.

Slugger Christina Huff warms up before her game against the Blue Jays on Friday. The game was played at Youth Sports Inc. and was both teams' first of the season.

The power surge was highlighted by an RBI triple by Britt Kice that drove in Jessica Holland from first base. With the big inning, the Blue Jays extended their advantage to 8-2.

The heart of the Sluggers’ order came up to bat again in the fourth and they mounted a comeback, sending nine batters to the plate and scoring four runs. The key to the Sluggers’ big inning was a stretch where three of four batters who came to the plate recorded singles to load the bases. Then a triple by Rebekah Manweiler cleared the bases. When the Sluggers finally recorded their third out, they found themselves trailing by just two runs, 8-6.

“Their batting was actually a lot better than I expected it to be,” Sluggers coach Mike Mattan said. “I thought they’d hit off the coaches OK. I was afraid they weren’t going to hit off the girls.”

With the Sluggers right on their heels, the Blue Jays broke out their second straight big inning, needing only seven hitters to do so. With Kayla Kimball and Holland on base, Kice brought them home with a double. The next batter, Maddison Bennett, ended the inning with a two-run home run, giving the Blue Jays a 13-6 lead.

Blue Jay Jessica Holland takes off for third base in the bottom of the fourth against the Sluggers. Holland would soon score one of the four runs the Blue Jays plated in the inning as they went on to defeat the Sluggers 18-10 Friday at Youth Sports Inc.

The Sluggers made one final rally in the fifth thanks to three straight hits. The first was a two-out single by Poulson that plated Morgan Mattan. Tah came to the plate next and drove in Poulson with a triple. Her stay on third was only temporary as Christina Huff, knocked in Tah with a single.

The Sluggers kept hope alive in the bottom of the fifth, holding the Blue Jays scoreless.

If the Sluggers could have scored the five-run max, the lead would have been theirs. Instead, the Blue Jays allowed them only one run. For good measure, the Blue Jays posted five runs in their half of the sixth to secure the big victory.

Although 10 runs wasn’t enough for the Sluggers on Friday, coach Matten was satisfied with his team’s hitting.

The Blue Jays’ Carter was smiling ear to ear over his team’s performance. When asked what one thing his team did exceptionally well, one wasn’t enough.

“I think they did good all the way around,” Carter said. “I’m real proud of ’em.”