Southwest Mississippi softball hosted East Central on Wednesday, April 15, in a doubleheader. The Lady Bears lost the first game 6-5 in extra innings but won the second game 8-6.
In game one, Allie Ladnier started on the mound for Southwest. She pitched 7.1 innings, threw over 150 pitches, struck out two batters and allowed six runs. Mary Claire Salley finished the game, striking out one without allowing hits or runs. The Lady Bears scored their first run in the bottom of the first on a double by Alexis Dejean. They went scoreless until the seventh inning, when they trailed 5-1.
Down to their final inning, Bailey McLin singled and Corin Talbot hit a home run to left field, cutting the deficit to 5-3. Alexis Dejean then homered to center field, tying the game at 5-5. Southwest failed to end the game in regulation and eventually lost 6-5 in eight innings.
Dejean led the team with three hits, including a homer and a double. McLin added two hits, while Talbot, Ladnier, Kate Clements, and Jana Phillips each contributed one hit. Phillips also stole a base in game one.
In game two, Ballard Kraft started and pitched 4.2 innings to earn the win. Ladnier pitched the final two innings, striking out four of eight batters faced and earning the save after allowing just one hit.
Dejean set the tone early with a two-run homer in the first inning. After East Central tied the game, McLin hit a sacrifice fly to score Jana Phillips and give Southwest a 3-2 lead. The teams exchanged runs before Dejean hit her third homer of the day, a two-run shot in the third inning, to put the Lady Bears ahead 5-3.
In the same inning, Madalyn Ashford doubled to push the lead to 6-3. The final runs came in the fifth, when Corin Talbot tripled to score two runs and increase the lead to 8-5. Southwest allowed only one more run and secured the victory.
Kate Clements led the team in hits with four in four at-bats. Dejean had two hits, including her three homers and four RBIs. Talbot contributed a triple and two RBIs. Ashford, Roebuck, McLin, and Phillips each added hits or stolen bases in the game. The Lady Bears now hold a 25-13 overall record and are 12-10 in conference play. They are scheduled to travel to Clarksdale to face Coahoma on Friday, April 17.
