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Southwest Mississippi Community College

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Bears vs. Pearl River

Baseball Michael D. Gunnell, Southwest Sports Information

Bears sweep Pearl River on the road to close out 2012 season

Finishing the season just one win short of reaching the MACJC playoffs, the Southwest Bears ended the 2012 season on a high note as they swept host Pearl River 3-1 and 6-5 (in 11 innings) Saturday in Poplarville.
 
The Bears (20-26, 11-13) picked up the game one win behind yet another outstanding performance from sophomore pitcher Zach Rowell (6-3). The right-hander from McComb went 6.2 innings on the mound, allowing only three hits, despite pitching with a pulled back muscle.
 
Johnny McKenzie led off the game for Southwest with a single to right field and scored two batters later on a single by Kade Scivicque. Later in the inning, German Hays, who had reached on a fielder’s choice, scored on a base hit by Darron McKigney to give the Bears a 2-0 lead. Pearl River (25-18, 10-14) added a run in the bottom of the frame to make the score 2-1.
 
The Bears added the final run of the game in the top of the seventh when Hays doubled with one out, moved to third on another Scivicque single and raced home on a wild pitch.
 
A walk and dropped third strike allowed the Wildcats to put two runners on base with two outs in the bottom of the seventh. McKigney, who had saved several runs for the Bears with his brilliant play in centerfield, then took the mound in relief of Rowell and induced the only batter he faced into a pitcher-to-first ground out to end the game and record his third save of the year.
 
Alex Marshall had two singles in the game while Hays also added a single.

At the end of the day, Rowell said that he was “happy the team didn’t give up even though we didn’t have a chance to make the playoffs.” Wednesday’s losses to Jones County ended the Bears’ playoff chances. “It was good to see everybody was making plays,” Rowell went on, “especially (McKigney) and hitting the ball.” Speaking of the sweep, he said “It was good to go out with two wins with my baseball brothers.” 
 
In game two, the Bears took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning when McKigney was hit by a pitch, moved to second on Marshall’s sacrifice bunt and made it home on a Connor Goodspeed single. Pearl River then scored two runs in the second and third innings and a solo run in the fourth to take a 5-1 lead. Clint McDaniel, on in relief of starter Trey Setzer, Jared Fiorito and Scivicque then held the Wildcats scoreless through the remainder of the game.
 
Southwest pulled to within one run, at 5-4, in the fifth inning. A bases-loaded single by Scivicque allowed Luke Gipson and Chance Schmidt to reach the plate while McKigney later added a single that scored Hays.
 
The Bears tied the game at 5-5 in the seventh inning when Schmidt led off with a single and scored three batters later when Scivicque reached on a fielder’s choice. Pearl River put a runner on base in the bottom of the frame, but was unable to score, forcing the extra play.
 
Both teams had their chances to score over the next three innings, but were unable to punch anyone across the plate. The Bears finally broke the deadlock in their half of the 11th. Gipson doubled for his fourth hit of the day before Brandon Austin entered the game as a pinch runner. Austin moved to third on Jake Martin’s ground out then scored what proved to be the winning run when Schmidt lined a two-ball, two-strike pitch to right field for his third base hit of the game.
 
The Wildcats put the tying and winning runs on base with two outs in the bottom of the inning, but were unable to produce a run allowing Southwest to escape with the win.
 
“We did a really good job of getting runners on base each inning and giving ourselves the opportunity to score,” Schmidt said later, “and our pitching staff did an outstanding job of keeping Pearl River from scoring in extra innings. It felt great,” he said of the extra-inning win, “and I’m glad that we got to end our season with a sweep.”
 
Scivicque went 4.2 innings on the mound to pick up the win for the Bears. He gave up four hits while striking out four and also walking four.
 
McKigney added a double and second single in the game while Hays had two singles. Marshall and McKenzie also hit safely.
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