After posting a 2-1-1 record in round-robin play, the R.H. Jones Mechanical Panthers, an under-14 team from the Prince George Minor Girls Softball peewee development group, secured the bronze medal at a Summerland tournament last weekend.
The Panthers faced Penticton in the bronze-medal clash, a rematch of the opening game which resulted in a 3-3 tie. In the medal round game, an Olivia Johnson hit allowed Mackenzie Muir to score giving the Prince George girls an 8-4 lead in the fifth inning. Penticton rallied but could only close the gap to 8-7.
Panthers coach Walter Colk said it was an excellent result since the team had only practiced outdoors for one week prior to the tournament.
"We are very proud of our team," said Colk. "The teams we were competing against have all been playing and practicing outside for at least a month and in some cases longer. Our girls had not played as a team before, as we opened this opportunity to all the players that had been attending our winter development sessions, and we had enough interest to bring a team to Summerland."
In their other games the Panthers shut out West Kootenay 7-0 before clinching a playoff berth with a 3-1 win against Chilliwack. The Panthers dropped the final round-robin game 6-0 to the eventual gold medalists Kobau Koyotes.
In the semifinal, the Panthers fell 9-3 to the Trail Rebels, relegating them to the bronze medal game. The Rebels went on to claim the silver.
