The softball season continues to roll on. All 4 Bulloch county schools were in action this week.
Portal
The Panthers had 3 games scheduled for the week. Saturday's Turpentine Softball Classic was cancelled. Portal's only game came against Metter, and the Panthers fell 12-1.
Portal's team is very young and still trying to find their way. Their schedule has been extremely difficult as they have faced off with good teams. They have some more favorable matchups ahead of them.
Portal's record falls to 2-5 on the season.
This week, the Panthers are only scheduled to play one game. They will host McIntosh County Academy on Tuesday.
Statesboro
The Lady Devils played 3 games last week and finished with a 2-1 record. The week started off with a tough 8-0 loss to Effingham County. Statesboro would bounce back with 2 wins against Screven County and Pinewood Christian. Coming into the game, Screven was at the top of the region. The Blue Devils were able to come away with a dominant 12-4 win.
Head Coach Karry Parker spoke on her team's play last week. "I am pleased with the effort and competitiveness regardless of the wins and losses," Parker said. "We have a younger group that we encourage to continue learning and competing regardless of the circumstances."
Pinewood Christian and Statesboro played in the the Blue Devils' season opener and Pinewood took the win. Statesboro got a measure of revenge on Thursday with a 6-3 victory. "Pinewood is a great team we were able to minimize errors on defense and put the ball in play on offense."
Statesboro's record improves to 7-5 on the season. They have a week-long series against the Glynn Academy Terrors. The two team will play a doubleheader at Mill Creek Park on Tuesday and finish the series at Glynn Academy.
"We need to maintain composure, take one pitch at a time and one inning at a time," Parker said.
Southeast Bulloch
The Southeast Bulloch Yellow Jackets finished the week with a 2-0 record. The Yellow Jackets were able to tighten the grasp that they have on their region with 2 wins. Head coach Aimee Civalier spoke on how her team approaches these region games. "We lock by focusing on one game at a time and really stress the importance of our region games," Civalier said.
Civalier achieved a big milestone in SEB's 9-1 win against Islands on Tuesday. That was her 400th career win as a head coach. The players and coaches celebrated on the field after the game.
The Yellow Jackets defeated Calvary Day on Thursday 11-4. "Our win against 2nd place Calvary, especially with us having to come from behind twice," Civalier said, was impressive. Marissa Waters hit a clutch 3-run homer to put the Yellow Jackets ahead. An electric 6-run inning in the 6th put the game away.
Several Yellow Jackets played well and were big contributors to the wins last week. Kristiana Tisby finished 4-5, had 4 RBIs and 2 runs scored. Hannah Griffin was 4-8 with 2 runs scored and 1 RBI. Marrissa Waters and Trell Reed started the 2 games and picked up wins for Southeast Bulloch.
The Yellow Jackets have 4 games this week including a matchup with a very good Screven County team. "Non region games against tough opponents like Screven County help us get battle tested," Civalier said. " We want as many opportunities to be challenged during the regular season to help us prepare for the post season."
Along with the big game against Screven County on Wednesday, Southeast Bulloch will go on the road to face Long County on Tuesday. They will close the week with a doubleheader at Jenkins.
Bulloch Academy
Bulloch Academy only played 1 game last week. The Gators took down David Emanuel Academy 12-1 on Tuesday.
The defense for the gators has been their calling card all year long. The Gators have only allowed more than 3 runs in 1 game this season. Head Coach Ashley Burke spoke on her team's play on that end. "Defense is what I enjoy most working with," Burke said. "Each practice I make it my goal to make each girl feels comfortable and confident in their positions. Our defense has been a major reason why we have been so strong this season."
Bulloch Academy has not played too many games this season. They have only played 2 games over the past 2 weeks. Coach Burke says that rust is never an issue. "I think it has given the girls a little time to take for themselves and given them a little break," Burke said. "It is always good to slow down for a little and work on things we need to work on before we speed back up."
Bulloch Academy gets back on the grind with 3 games coming up this week. They will take on Edmund Burke Academy and Thomas Jefferson Academy on the road. The Gators will close the week at home against Savannah Christian.