The 12th-ranked Itawamba Indians took a pair of games from the Bears in Summit Friday afternoon, winning the opener 10-3 before taking the finale 12-2 in six innings.
The Bears took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first in Game 1 when Andrew Beesley reached on an error to start the frame. He scored two batters later on a T Tez Cole double.
Five singles resulted in three runs for the Indians in the top of the third, giving them a 3-1 advantage.
The Bears (13-20, 2-16) made it 3-2 in the bottom of the inning when Brantley Hughes led off with a single, moved to second when Scooter Ginn walked and scored on Cole’s base hit.
Itawamba (23-9, 10-6) increased its lead to 10-2 by scoring five runs in the fourth inning and single runs in the seventh and eighth innings.
The Bears scored the game’s final run in the bottom of the ninth when Chance Groue reached base on a lead-off double and crossed the plate later when Austin Moen grounded out.
Bryson McRaney took the loss on the mound, giving up three runs on six hits in three innings of work. He struck out one batter.
Crishaun Speight singled in the game.
The Indians sent nine men to the plate in the top of the first in game two and finished the inning with a 4-0 lead.
The Bears closed the gap to 4-2 in the bottom of the first when Hughes and Ginn both singled with one out and scored on Groue’s bases-loaded base hit.
The Indians added a pair of runs in the top of the fourth inning, four in the fifth and two more in the sixth to reach their final margin of victory.
Josh Merchant took the loss for the Bears, allowing 10 runs on nine hits and five walks in 4.1 innings on the mound. He struck out four batters. Ray Hutchinson had a single for the Bears.
The Bears hit the road to play their final non-conference games of the season on Wednesday against the LSU-Alexandria JV squad. Game 1 of the doubleheader begins at 3 p.m.
