Youth and inexperience can sometimes compliment maturity and experience quite nicely.
    Eighth grader Page Spence and senior Rachel Gilbert had two hits each to lead Bulloch Academy to a 9-0 win over Thomas Jefferson Academy Monday. Each girl went 2-for-2 with a walk in the five-inning, run-ruled contest. Spence, the number five hitter, had a single and a triple and plated two runners. Gilbert, the Lady Gators’ leadoff, had two singles and one RBI.
    “With so many young players,” said BA head coach Chandler Dennard. “That’s got to be the key. Rachel and our older players have to set the table. Then some of our younger girls behind them have to be able to wipe it clean. I feel pretty comfortable that our younger folks can come through.”
    With the victory, the Lady Gators (9-2) ran their winning streak to six games. They have run-ruled the last three opponents.
    “We’ve been playing pretty fundamentally sound ball lately,” said Dennard, as he knocked on a piece of wood. “We’ve still got some things that we need to continue to work on and get better at.”
    Bulloch scored four runs in the second inning, two in the third and three in the fourth. Sophomore pitcher Lauren Dennard picked up the win, her fifth of the season.
    In the second, sophomore Ally Cheshire reached on an error, stole second and was driven home by Spence’s single to right. Sophomore Caitlin Barber was hit by a pitch and sophomore Maddie Marsh bunted to load the bases. With two outs, both Barber and Marsh stole home on a passed ball and an ensuing error. Gilbert beat out an infield single, scoring eighth grader Ashley Burke, who had reached earlier on a fielder’s choice.
    BA added two more runs in the third when Spence’s triple to right scored Cheshire, who had drawn a base-on-balls. The young speedster then raced home on a wild pitch to give the Lady Gators a 6-0 lead.
    Three straight hits in the fourth gave BA an 8-0 lead. Sophomore Mary Margaret Reeves slapped a single to center and Gilbert blasted a double to left-center. Sophomore Marianna Peebles ripped a hot shot over the bag at first base, scoring both. With two outs, Cheshire was hit by a pitch, Spence drew a walk and junior Amelia Akins was hit by a pitch. Cheshire raced home on a wild pitch to score.
    According to Dennard, he is going to see what his Lady Gators are really made of today when they travel to Sandersville to take on Brentwood, the top-ranked squad in Class AA. Next week, BA starts its Region 4-AAA schedule, traveling to Dublin to take on old nemesis Trinity Christian.
    “It’s about to get hot and heavy here in a little while,” he said.