Girl Scout camp and being outside in the draining heat for most of the day didn’t mix well when the girls had to play a Wednesday evening softball game after their full day, but the game must go on as the Pink Panthers found out in their Parks and Recreation third- and fourth-grade softball league match-up against the Grizzlers. The Grizzlers mustered up the energy to outlast the Panthers 18-12 at Youth Sports Inc.

“The girls were sluggish tonight but that must be because of the summer camps,” Panthers’ assistant coach Mary Riner said.

Panthers’ head coach, Jean Younger, agreed with Riner and said jokingly, “Yeah, it looks like they’ve been at Girl Scout camp all week.”

Riner said despite the girls being sluggish, they did have some good plays.

On both offense and defense, the Panthers started off hot. It didn’t seem as if Girl Scout camp was bothering the Panthers as 10 of the 14 players swung the bat in the top of the first. Four of the 10 girls scored a run for the Panthers, and only two of the 10 didn’t make it on base.

The Grizzlers were up to bat next.

Although Grizzlers’ head coach, Fred Bell, offered his girls advice while they were at bat, they couldn’t get anything going as two of them struck out and another singled out.

The first inning ended with the Panthers on top 4-0.

Grizzler Jacilyn Pulliam steps up to bat in the bottom of the first on Wednesday at Youth Sports Inc. The Grizzlers defeated the Pink Panthers 18-12.

In the second, the Panthers couldn’t continue their hitting streak they started in the top of the first. The bottom of the Panthers’ lineup had the opportunity to score a run for their team, but Alexis Riner, was the only one to make it on base, and was left stranded when the inning ended.

The Grizzlers batted and ended the second inning with a 5-4 lead.

Younger said that her team needed to take some pointers from the Grizzlers, such as ball handling skills.

“They were holding on to the ball and we have to work on that,” she said.

Because of their good ball-handling skills, the Grizzlers recorded their first double play of the season. The play developed in the top of the third when Maddie Hill singled and as she waited on first base, her Panther teammate, Madeline Stacey, swung and popped the ball up. Hill took off to second, but the Grizzler defense caught the ball to record the out and turned the double play getting the ball to first baseman, Cheynne Culley, who tagged Hill out for the Grizzlers first double play.

Bell said his team plays better when they pay attention, but it’s hard for them because it’s summertime and they have other things on their mind.

“Their attention span was excellent today,” he said about why his team won, 18-12.