All four Bulloch County softball teams were in action for the first full week of the season. The teams had to get back into gear after a week off due to Tropical Storm Debby. All teams played several games to see how well they were prepared to start a long fall season.

Statesboro College

The Statesboro High Lady Blue Devils are 1-2 this week and start the season with a 1-3 record. They started with a 5-0 win over Swainsboro but dropped the next two games. In a thrilling game on Wednesday night, Statesboro lost to district rival Southeast Bulloch by a walk-off in the 8th inning. The Blue Devils ended their week with an 8-1 loss to Richmond Hill.

Despite the bumpy start Karry Parker is proud of her team’s performance.

“They continue to learn and work hard to improve in their individual roles,” Parker said. “I saw mental toughness, intensity and grit this week. These girls are willing to get better.”

The team will play both away games next week and the Lady Devils are now looking to recover.

“Nobody likes to lose, but sometimes that’s the best way to learn to fight back.” Parker said.

The Lady Devils have a chance for revenge when they face Richmond Hill and Swainsboro on the road. Statesboro faces Richmond Hill on Monday, August 19th at 5:30 p.m. Statesboro faces Swainsboro on Thursday, August 22nd at 6:00 p.m.

Southeast Bulloch

Southeast Bulloch had the busiest week of the four teams. The Yellow Jackets finished the week with a 6-0 record. On Tuesday, Southeast Bulloch defeated Burke County in a doubleheader, outscoring its opponents 30-0 in the two games. On Wednesday, the Yellow Jackets defeated their district rival Statesboro Blue Devils 5-4 on a walk-off run. Southeast Bulloch defeated Lanier County 6-5 on Friday. They finished the week with two wins on Saturday against Camden County and Crisp County.

Head Coach Aime Civallier says her team showed an overall performance at the start.

“We had solid pitching, good defense and enough good at-bats to score more runs than our opponents,” civilian said.

civilian praised her junior throwers for their very good play in the opening phase of the season.

“Trell Reed And Marissa Waters have shared time on the mound and they both did an excellent job of keeping us in the game in every ball game,” civilian said.

The 6-0 record doesn’t tell the whole story of the Lady Jackets’ first few games. Southeast Bulloch has had some big wins and some very close wins.

“I am very proud of our team, which won three close games, and two of them we had to come from behind,” civilian said. “It shows courage and determination to find a way to make it happen. They don’t give up and as long as we have one more hit, we still have a chance.”

The Lady Jackets will travel to compete in Calvary Day on Tuesday, August 20th at 4:30 p.m. Southeast Bulloch will face Long County on Thursday, August 22nd at 5:30 p.m.

Bulloch Academy

Bulloch Academy began the season with a home game. The Lady Gators finished the week 3-1 and currently have a 4-1 season record. They won at home against Tattnall County, Briarwood Academy and Jenkins County, with Bulloch Academy outscoring their opponents 38-8. The Gators suffered their first loss of the season on Saturday when they played First Presbyterian Day, with the final score being 9-1.

Head coach, Ashley Burke praised her team’s offensive performance in the first few games.

“The findings from the first few games were that the girls’ rackets were great,” Burke said.

The Lady Gators had 17 goals in their win against Jenkins County on Wednesday.

“Progress and consistency are the main reasons why our team has been so successful so far,” Burke mentioned.

Bulloch Academy will face Edmund Burke Academy at home on Wednesday, August 21st at 6:00 p.m. Their second game of the week will be at Robert Toombs Christian Academy on Wednesday, August 22nd at 6:00 p.m.

Coach Burke and her team are looking to rebound from Saturday and continue the good start. “When it comes to softball games and practice, we stick to three things: encouragement, communication and competition,” Burke said.

portal

Portal split its first two games of the season. They started with a big 17-1 win over McIntosh County Academy on Tuesday. They lost their second game of the year to Claxton 10-1 on Thursday.

Portal will face Screven County on the road on Tuesday, August 20th at 6:00 p.m. The Lady Panthers will host Jenkins County on Thursday, August 22nd at 6:00 p.m.