It was a record-setting day for two members of the Southwest Mississippi Community College baseball team on Wednesday.
The pair made Southwest history as they and their teammates split a home doubleheader with East Central, winning the opener 12-2 in six innings before dropping a tough 2-1 decision in the finale.
With the split, the Bears now stand at 23-21 on the season, while East Central is 31-10.
Second baseman Derek Morgan, a sophomore from Foxworth, scored two runs in the first game to give him 46 on the year, a new school single-season mark.
In Game 2, fellow sophomore Scoot McDaniel, from Columbia, was hit by a pitch to give him a career mark of 19.
In Game 1, Southwest took a 3-0 lead in the third inning when Morgan singled with one out, moved to third on McDaniel’s single and scored on a Kyle Wheeler single.
After catcher Brandon Simon walked and was replaced by courtesy runner Tommy Braddock, Laramie Pittman singled to score both runners.
Quin Stokes homered to put the Warriors on the board in the top of the fourth, but Southwest added to its lead.
The Bears tallied three more runs in the bottom of the frame to make it 6-1.
Thomas Daughdrill led off with a single and, two outs later, Morgan singled.
Both scored on McDaniel’s three-run home run over the left-field fence.
East Central used two hits and a Southwest error to add its final run of the game in the fifth inning.
The Bears then added a six-run explosion to put the game on ice in the bottom of the sixth.
After McDaniel singled and Wheeler walked, Simon was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Pittman then singled to score McDaniel and Wheeler.
Rob Thames then walked to reload the bases and Daughdrill smashed a Cal Cossich pitch over the left-field fence for a grand slam to end the game.
Ryan Hickman (7-2) picked up the win for Southwest. The freshman gave up five hits and struck out three in the complete-game performance.
Southwest fell in the second game despite a solid performance from sophomore Justin Franciskato.
The right-hander pitched a complete-game five-hitter, striking out three.
East Central took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a Vincent Kortbawi homer and used three hits and a walk to open a 2-0 lead in the second inning.
The Bears scored their only run of the game in the bottom of the second when Pittman doubled and scored on an East Central error.
Pittman singled in the seventh and Daughdrill walked, but Southwest was unable to score as the Warriors squeaked by with the win.
Josh Bouldin singled and doubled for Southwest. McDaniel was hit by a pitch, setting the record, leading off the sixth inning.
Southwest will return to action Saturday when it plays its final home games of the season against Meridian in a 2 p.m. doubleheader, weather permitting.
