Southwest Mississippi Softball hosted Pearl River on Thursday in a doubleheader. The Lady Bears won the opener 4-3 but lost the second game 10-1, according to team officials.
Allie Ladnier pitched all seven innings in the first game, allowing three runs with two strikeouts. The game was a back-and-forth battle. Pearl River took an early 2-0 lead after two innings. Southwest responded with runs in the third and fourth to tie the game at 2-2.
In the sixth inning, Pearl River scored to go ahead 3-2. The Lady Bears quickly answered with two runs in the bottom half. Jana Phillips doubled, and Daphe Rohrbacker sacrificed her to third. Madalyn Ashford was hit by a pitch, putting runners on first and third. Bailey McLin then singled to tie the game at 3-3. Corin Talbot followed with a hit to the wall, scoring McLin and giving Southwest a 4-3 lead.
Southwest held off Pearl River in the top of the seventh. The Wildcats loaded the bases with two outs, but Madalyn Ashford made a catch to end the game. McLin, Talbot, Ladnier, and Phillips each had two hits. Talbot led with two RBIs, and Phillips and Ashford stole a base each.
The second game was more one-sided, with Pearl River winning 10-1. Mary Claire Salley started on the mound for the Lady Bears, pitching five innings with four strikeouts. Tye Boone pitched the final two innings. Southwest’s lone run came on Tristan Allen’s solo homer, her 18th of the season. McLin led the team with two hits, and Allen, Talbot, and Ashford each had one.
Head Coach Shea Johnson praised the team’s effort. “I think that all in all we played really good softball. Super proud of our kids and the way they played and the legacy they are leaving behind for the teams in the future,” Johnson said. “Beating a team like that helps us move closer to our goal of being a regional contender. It sends a message to recruits that Southwest can beat the perennial powerhouses like Pearl River.”
The Lady Bears, now 24-12 overall and 11-9 in conference play, will host East Central on Wednesday, April 15.
