Pitching struggles early on and mistakes in the nightcap were Achilles heels for the Bears Saturday as they came up short at Itawamba falling 19-3 in Game 1 and 4-2 in Game 2.
 
"From the first inning to the last of the first game, we didn't pitch well," Southwest head coach Jack Edmonson said. "In the second game, (Luke) Lirette threw well. We were in control until the end." 
 
In the opener, the Bears (14-21, 4-10 MACCC) showed difficulties on the mound. Five pitchers were used and they combined to give up 12 earned runs while striking out five.
 
Southwest found itself down 4-0 after the first inning as Itawamba got a two-run home run followed by an RBI single and an RBI on a fielder's choice.
 
A second home run in the second inning provided two more runs for the hosts, increasing the deficit for the Bears to six.
 
Showing fight, the Bears pushed their first run across the plate in the third. Marcus Jackson led off with a triple and touched home during the ensuing at bat when Hunter Harrell singled.
 
Southwest rallied once again in the fourth, pulling within three at 6-3 following an RBI single by Christian Kell, scoring Tyler Otts and a Jackson ground out scoring Colson Thompson.
 
However afterward, the Indians began to pull away. A run in the bottom half of the fourth, followed by three in the fifth and nine in the sixth provided the eventual final score.
 
Offensively, Connor McHenry led the Bears going 3-for-4. Harrell had two hits and one RBI.
 
In Game 2, multiple mistakes proved to be too much to overcome for the Bears.
 
Southwest made the first statement right off the bat as Jackson opened the game with a double to center and scored two at bats later when Braiden Jones hit into a ground out.
 
After the Indians were unable to answer in their half of the first, the Bears added to their lead in the second when Brett Boutwell reached on an error allowing Thompson to touch home making it a 2-0 game.
 
Southwest starter Luke Lirette shined as he continued to hold the talented Itawamba offense at bat through the first four innings. He gave up only four hits, three runs, no earned runs and one walk while striking out four over 4.2 innings of work.
 
Unfortunately, in the fourth, the Bears lost the lead as an error plated two runs before an RBI single during the ensuing at bat gave the Indians the upper hand at 3-2.
 
An inning later, a Bear error resulted in the fourth Itawamba run putting the Bears in a two-run deficit.
 
Southwest put two on base in the seventh in an attempt to rally, however, Itawamba shut the door on the opportunity.
 
Kell tallied two hits to lead the Bear offense. Jones, who came on in relief of Lirette, gave up only one run (unearned) and one hit while striking out three over 1.1 innings of work.
 
The Bears return home Tuesday to host Jones at 3 p.m. and 6 p.m.