The Southeast Bulloch Yellow Jackets hosted the Mary Persons Bulldogs in the second round of the GHSA Class AAA Softball playoffs. After splitting the doubleheader on Thursday, the two teams locked horns one last time in a rubber match to see who would advance to the Elite 8. SEB would go on to win 7-0 in the final game to advance.
Yellow Jackets hold off Bulldogs in Game 1
The Yellow Jackets picked up right where they left off in the first round when it came to going yard. Marissa Waters smacked the ball into dead center field outside of the fence for a 2-run homer to put the Jackets up 2-0 in the first inning.
Waters also started for Game 1 of the doubleheader, and she was dealing for the first 5 innings.
In the bottom of the 4th, the Jackets extended their lead when senior Megan Newham hit a solo homer. A few batters later, Kristiana Tisby hit a home run of her own and SEB found themselves up 4-0.
In the top of the 6th, the Bulldogs began to scrap their way back into the game. Taylor Mostellor made contact and sent the ball outside of the fence for a 2-run homer. After two more hitters reached, Isabelle Hickman scored off of a single.
With the score now being 4-3, Head Coach Aimee Civalier made the call to have Trell Reed finish out the game for SEB as the pitcher. Reed would get the Jackets out of the inning with a 4-3 lead.
Heading into the bottom of the 6th, SEB needed to add a little cushion before they went into the 7th. The team did just that as they poured in 6 runs in the 6th. Tisby and Reed singled followed by a sacrifice bunt by Paisley Nordeoff to put them in scoring position. Kayleigh Hickman doubled and brought Tisby home. Paige Nelson singled bringing Abbie Tillman, pinch runner for Trell Reed, home. A double by playoff breakout star, Hannah Griffin, allowed for Ella Rae Jernigan and Nelson to come home. Newham would put the ball in play for Waters to score. Griffin scored off of a wild pitch to conclude the scoring in the 6th inning.
SEB would win game 1 10-3.
Bulldogs surge to force game 3
It looked like SEB was going to run away the second game when Nelson, Waters and Griffin loaded the bases in the top of the 1st inning. Nelson scored off of a walk, but 3 Yellow Jackets were left stranded at the end of the top of the first.
The Bulldogs took control in the bottom of the 1st when Sara Grace scored off of a single by Mostellor. Mary Persons followed up with Olivia Woodgeard got brought in to score by Madi Nchols to go up 2-1.
Sara Grace extended the league in the 3rd with a solo homer. Mary Persons continued to pile it on while SEB dug themselves a deeper hole to climb out of. Ellie McMenamy was brought in by Woodgeard. And Mostellor, who had herself a day, hit a double and batted in Sara Grace and Woodgeard to put the Bulldogs up 7-1.
During the 5th inning, SEB made a run. Trell Reed sent the ball right over the pitcher past 2nd base to send Waters back to home base. Paisley Nordeoff doubled to bring 2 more home making the score 7-4. The Yellow Jackets couldn’t cut any deeper into the lead.
This set the stage for the two teams to face off in a rubber match to decide who would make the trip to Columbus.
The Lady Jackets shut out Mary Persons and advance
The pressure was immense for both teams in a game that would either extend their season or end it.
SEB got right to business as Paige Nelson used her speed to get in scoring position and make it back home to take an early 1-0 lead in the 1st.
Kristiana Tisby would hit a single and bring in Halleigh Morton to make the score 2-0. The Lady Jackets were also clicking on the defensive end as Megan Newham made an acrobatic grab from behind home plate and fired the ball to first for a double play.
In the 3rd, the Yellow Jackets looked to have found their groove as they added 3 more runs to the scoreboard. SEB loaded the bases quickly and that allowed Ella Rae Jernigan to score off of a wild pitch. Nordeoff continued her great series as she doubled to bring Morton and Newham home to make the score 5-0.
A bit of controversy and conflict is never absent from a winner-take-all game. In the bottom of the 4th, Nelson hit the ball down the 3rd baseline and the infielder tried to make a play on it, and the ball ended up in foul territory. After originally being ruled out, the officials reversed the call saying the ball was fair and the fielder changed its course when she touched it. The head coach of the Bulldogs was verbally frustrated with the reversal of the call. Nelson was able to reach home off of a sacrifice bunt by Hannah Griffin.
The icing on the cake was a Paige Nelson single that allowed Tisby to score making the score 7-0.
SEB found something when it came to putting the ball in play. They were able to show off the offense that got them to where they are now in the final game. Head Coach Aimee Civalier spoke on the adjustments and preparation for Game 3. “Their pitcher kept us off balance and we couldn’t score like we did in the first and last game,” Civalier said. “We made adjustments in the cage, we worked the fastball and the change-ups. We just tacked on runs every inning and put pressure on her.”
After the game, the Yellow Jackets had an emotional moment realizing that their goal of getting back to Columbus was complete. “The last time we were in Columbus, our seniors were freshmen,” Civalier said. “The last few years we didn’t get there. That was their goal and they led this team and they talked about how important it was to get there and have that opportunity.”
UP NEXT:
SEB will travel to Columbus to take on the Monroe Area Purple Hurricanes in the Elite 8.
“It’s going to be the best of the best” Civalier said. “It is going to be a dogfight, every game is going to be tough.”