The Southeast Bulloch Yellow Jackets hosted the Portal Panthers Tuesday afternoon as the two teams officially christened in the 2023 softball season. The Jackets jumped out to an early lead and were able to pull away winning 12-2 in five innings. 

The Jackets were led offensively by Marissa Waters who went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles and two RBI. Hannah Griffin and Rileigh Rogers each had two hits in the game. Quentrell Reed led the way on the mound, going five innings with 11 strikeouts and allowing only four hits and one earned run.  

“I felt like it was a good home opener,” said SEB coach Aimee Civalier. “We didn’t square the ball up as much as I would have liked, but we still managed to score 12 runs. Quentrell did a solid job on the mound and we played pretty well in the field. We still have a long way to go and a lot we need to improve on.” 

Civalier is trying to fill the holes left by a few key senior graduates. She feels the young players have been stepping up and while there may not be a superstar on the team, she likes the balance they have shown so far. 

“This is a very young team but they seem to have a little chemistry,” Civalier said. “We don’t have that dominant player we have had in the past but I like the fight they show. They all work hard and they back each other up and I think that will carry us far. We also have two pitchers we will rotate in and that is a little different for us. Trell and Marissa Waters will be our one-two punch and I think that will be a real advantage for us.” 

As for the Portal Panthers they are coming off advancing to the second round of the state playoffs. The bad news for head coach Travis Motes is that he lost eight of his nine starters to graduation and is patiently trying to rebuild with a very youthful team. 

“We are having to start freshman and sophomore who are having to grow up in a hurry,” Motes said. “We seem to be heading in the right direction despite being run-ruled today. They are showing progress and are much better than when they started. Emma Johnson is our starting pitcher and she is improving and has been working with a pitching coach. We have a couple other players like Autumn Reed and Hailey Barnes who have shown steady improvement at the plate.” 

Next up for the Panthers is a trip to Cross Creek Friday at 6 p.m. Southeast Bulloch hosts Pinewood on Thursday at 6 p.m.