For Bulloch Academy seniors Danielle Atkinson, Ashlee Lanier, Haley Mock and Madelyn Vickery, Tuesday’s 9-0 victory over region rival Edmund Burke Academy was bittersweet.
     It is the last time that the foursome will ever play a game at Lady Gator field.
    “Madelyn, Ashlee, Danielle and Haley have been a good solid group of seniors,” said BA head coach Chandler Dennard. “After a pre-season full of promise, we were hit by the injury bug and had to move people around a great deal during the season. Last week was the first time that we played with everyone back in their original positions.”
    But, it is the beginning of an adventurous, whirlwind road trip that could end with a state-title shot.
    The Lady Gators hit the highway Thursday, traveling to Macon to battle Stratford Academy in their final regular-season game. On Saturday, the Bulloch players will pitch their tents in Cordele, Ga. as the Lady Gators take their annual season-ending trip to the Georgia National Fair. On Sunday, the team eases into Albany to get ready for the first round of the GISA Class AAA playoffs.
    Bulloch wound up as the third seed in Region 4-AAA and will take on Sherwood Christian Academy, the second seed from Region 3. The best-of-three series begins Monday at 10 a.m.
    “It’s gonna be a tough draw for us,” said Dennard. “Sherwood is a good team and has got one of the best pitchers in the state. But, if we get by them, then we have to play Tattnall Square in Macon on Thursday.”
    The Lady Trojans are the top ranked team in Triple-A, a distinction that they held last year at the beginning of the tournament as well. But, last season, the Gators upset TSA in the second round of the playoffs and advanced to the Final Four.
    “When we play like we are capable of playing,” said Dennard, “we are not scared of anybody. It’s all about hitting that stride at the right time.”
    If Tuesday’s victory was any indication, the Lady Gators may just be starting to make their run.
    Bulloch pounded EBA pitching for 12 hits in the run-rule victory. Junior Ashley Burke was 3-for-3 while Mock and sophomore Kaleigh Sisolak were 2-for-3 each.
    BA scored four runs in the first, one in the second and four in the fourth for the win. Vickery pitched 4 1/3 innings for the win, allowing just three hits and striking out two.