The start of spring break comes on a down note for the Southwest Mississippi Community College Lady Bears softball team after dropping both ends of a doubleheader to visiting Jones County, 3-1 and 1-0 Saturday.
With the losses, Southwest fell to 9-7 overall and 2-2 in the MACJC South Division. The Lady Bobcats improved to 17-5 and 3-3.
Solo runs in the first and sixth innings had Jones County up 2-0 in the first game before the Lady Bears could find some offense. In the bottom of the sixth, Brooke Szigeti led off with a double, moved to third on a Tipheri Grimes single and scored on a Jones County throwing error. The Lady Bobcats added a run in the top of the seventh then retired Southwest in order to take the win.
Ashlyn Grisaffe (3 for 5) went the distance for Southwest. She allowed eight hits and three runs while striking out six and issuing no walks. Erin Stuckey, Aseye Attipoe and Lindsay Clark all singled.
In the finale, a hit and Southwest error allowed the Lady Bobcats to score the only run of the game in the top of the first inning. Whitney Moore (6-2) went the distance. In seven innings, she gave up only three hits while striking out four. Kolbi Lewis, Hali Sasser and Bethany Wall picked up singles for the Lady Bears.
“We just didn’t hit,” said Southwest head coach Patsy Sandifer. “We played solid defense and made some great plays, but their pitching had us off balance. We’re very capable of beating them, but our bats have to show up.”
Southwest will take a few days off before returning to the diamond on March 22 in Perkinston at Mississippi Gulf Coast.
