The Southwest Mississippi Community College Lady Bears are on a road they hope leads them to the playoffs.
In order to get there, however, they must first deliver a package.
Southwest head coach Patsy Sandifer said Wednesday that her team has the entire package working following the Lady Bears’ softball doubleheader sweep of the Jones County Lady Bobcats, 5-2 and 9-2, at the Southwest softball field.
The Lady Bears used a combination of timely offense, pitching and solid defense to improve to 19-15 overall and 8-8 in the Mississippi Association of Community and Junior Colleges South Division.
Southwest currently sits one game behind East Central and Pearl River for fourth place in the South Division. The top four teams from the division qualify for the playoffs.
“I feel like we’re in the driver’s seat right now,” Sandifer said. “We have the entire package working in our pitching, hitting, defense and base running.”
Southwest rallied to win the opener Wednesday, then coasted to the nightcap victory and the twinbill sweep.
In the first game, the Lady Bears took advantage of four Jones County errors to assemble a four-run fourth inning to claim the win.
Southwest pitcher Ashlyn Grisaffe finished with a two-hitter and retired the final 10 batters she faced. Grisaffe walked one, struck out three and hit a batter.
In the back half of the doubleheader, the Lady Bears coasted from the opening pitch.
Southwest built a 4-0 lead through three innings before Jones knocked the goose egg off its side of the scoreboard.
Southwest used a four-run fifth inning to break the game wide open.
Pitcher Whitney Moore retired the first 10 batters she faced before a one-out fielding error allowed the first Lady Bobcat to reach base.
An ensuing double to left field allowed Jones County to trim the deficit to 4-1.
The frame was highlighted by Polk’s two-out, two-run single that scored Lindsay Clark, who singled, and Hollins-Campbell, who reached on a fielder’s choice.
Moore chipped in a run-scoring single and Foster an RBI groundout in the frame.
Jones County added its final run in the sixth on a walk, double to left-center field and sacrifice fly.
Southwest capped the scoring in the bottom of the sixth. Perry and Lock led off with singles and advanced to second and third on Moore’s infield groundout.
Maggie Jackson then skyed a sacrifice fly to center that brought home Perry for the final margin.
After setting down the first 10 hitters she faced, Moore finished with a two-hitter. She walked two, struck out six and hit a batter.
The Lady Bears will be in actin again Saturday when they host last-place Hinds, beginning at 1 p.m.
“Those games are huge,” Sandifer said of the upcoming pair. “Hinds may be in last place, but we’ve got to treat everyone we play like they’re in first place. We’ve got to keep playing the way we are.”
