After Tuesday's play did not start the way that the Lady Bears had hoped with a heart-breaking 7-6 loss at John Melvin, they made sure to end the day on a high note with a 20-6 win in Game 2 to earn the split with the Millers.
"We played well, we played good enough in spots. We hit the ball well which is a positive," Southwest head coach Shea Johnson said. "All-in-all it was not a terrible day. We finished on a high note."
The Lady Bears (3-9) made a statement early on in the first contest, jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the first when Alyssa Leggett reached on an error while Allie Ladnier and Liberty Gillihan scored.
The momentum was short-lived, however, as the Millers tied the game in the bottom half of the first on a two-run home run.
Ladnier, who got the start for Southwest, got back into rhythm to keep John Melvin from breaking the tie.
And she then got help from the offense in the fifth. After Maggie Wilks led off with a double, she touched home during the ensuing at-bat when Gillihan launched a 3-2 pitch over the right field wall making the score 4-2.
Unfortunately in the sixth, John Melvin got into a groove and plated four runs to take a 6-4 lead.
Down to their final out with a runner on base, the Lady Bears extended the game as Corin Talbot homered to right, tying the game once again at 6.
But the Miller got the last laugh in the bottom of the seventh, as a solo home run provided the game-winning run for the hosts.
Gillihan led Southwest with a home run, a double, two runs scored and two RBIs. Abbey Pevey also had two hits for the Lady Bears.
In Game 2, Southwest once again made the first statement, this time it was in the form of a huge scoring run.
RBI doubles from Gillihan, Ladnier and Pevey and an RBI single from Leggett were the highlights of an 11-run first inning for the Lady Bears.
John Melvin responded with a run in the bottom half of the inning, but it was answered in the second as Ladnier grounded out which allowed Lauryn Roebuck to score, making it a 12-1 game.
Another hot stretch in the third increased the Southwest lead. A Roebuck RBI double was immediately followed by a home run from Erin Acey making the score 16-1. Later in the inning, the Lady Bears added one more run on a Talbot sacrifice fly.
After the Millers plated two runs in the third, the Lady Bears plated three in the fourth on a Roebuck two-run home run followed by an RBI double from Leggett, making the score 20-3.
John Melvin scored its final three runs in the fifth before Southwest pitcher Skye Sharp, who went the distance, recorded the third out to seal the win for the visitors.
Legget led the Lady Bears with three hits, one run scored and four RBIs. Acey and Roebuck also finished with four RBIs apiece with the latter adding four runs scored.
Southwest will head to Vicksburg on Friday to face Metropolitan at noon and Parkland College at 5 p.m. on Day 1 of the JUCO Classic.
