The Southeast Bulloch Yellow Jackets softball team traveled to Columbus to compete for the GHSA Class AAA state championship this week. The Lady Jackets would battle with 7 other teams for the right to call themselves the champs.
Game 1 vs. Monroe Area
Southeast Bulloch kicked off the state championships by locking horns with the Monroe Area Purple Hurricanes. SEB would fall 5-1 to the Purple Hurricanes.
Trell Reed and Monroe Area's Kayla Reynolds both held the teams to a deadlock at 0 through 4 and a half innings. In the bottom of the 4th, Monroe Area was able to string some hits together and load the bases. Monroe's Mackenzie Connor smacked the ball into dead centerfield, right outside of the fence. The grand slam broke the seal on the game and would be the deciding hit.
Monroe Area would score again in the bottom of the 5th when Brooklyn Cryder hit a single right over 3rd base to bring in a runner to make the score 5-0.
SEB fought till the end as they got on the board with a solo homer by Megan Newham in the top of the 6th.
Game 2 vs. Pickens County
SEB's season was on the line on Thursday evening against the Pickens County Dragons. The Lady Jackets would fall short 5-1 again.
The game against Pickens followed a similar script to the first one, as both teams were held scoreless through the first 3 innings. In the top of the 4th, the Lady Jackets got on the board when Haleigh Morton singled and brought home Blakely Graham to make the score 1-0.
Pickens County tied the game when Lexi Grizzle sent the ball deep into leftfield and brought home River Becker. The very next at bat, Kendra Stewart smashed a ball into dead center for a 3-run homer to go up 4-1.
The Dragons extended their lead in the bottom of the 6th, with a run batted in by Becker to make the score 5-1.
In the top of the 7th, the Yellow Jackets could not pull off the comeback.
Despite the season not ending how they wanted it to, the Lady Jackets had a season to remember. Their final record was 28-5 on the season and they found themselves in Columbus competing for the State championship for the first time in years. Bulloch County is proud of how far these girls went. Congratulations on an awesome season, Lady Jackets!