Despite not playing for six days, the Bears picked up where they left off in last Tuesday's win over No. 8 Jones and carried that momentum over to Monday in a sweep of Holmes taking Game 1 5-4 before closing out the day with a 16-2 win in Game 2.
 
"We played really good in all facets, we pitched good, we played really good defense and we swung the bats really well so I do think 100-percent that it was the most complete day that we have had all year," Southwest head coach Jack Edmonson said.
 
In Game 1, Justin Thomas got the start and had his best outing of the year so far. The sophomore left-hander from Gautier fanned four batters over 7.0 innings of work while giving up only six hits, two runs (one earned) and one walk.
 
"I found a way to get around the hitters and miss barrels as much as I could," he said. "I think that really helped me a lot."
 
Thomas made his presence known early for the Bears (17-22, 7-11 MACCC) retiring the side in order  in the first, picking up a strikeout in the process.
 
He ran into some trouble in the second as the Bulldogs pushed the game's first run across the plate putting the Bears down 1-0.
 
That score stood until the fourth when Southwest pulled even. Colson Thompson grounded out while Jerod Williams scored, tying the game at 1.
 
But Holmes immediately answered with a run in the fifth putting Southwest down once again.
 
In the home half of the fifth, the Bears rallied. With one out, Marcus Jackson doubled to left before Hunter Harrell reached via a single and Braiden Jones via a walk. With the bases loaded, Connor McHenry singled to right scoring two runs. Jones scored on the same play on a Bulldog error while McHenry advanced to third.
 
"During my first at bat, I kind of struggled so I tried to stay simple and get a pitch that I could do damage with and that's what I did," said McHenry who finished with a team-high two RBIs to go along with one run scored.
 
Leading 4-2, ensuing batter Williams kept the rally going with a sacrifice fly to right, scoring McHenry and increasing the Southwest lead.
 
The Bulldogs scratched two across in the ninth and threatened to add more before Jones shut the door on the opportunity, sealing the win for Southwest.
 
In addition to McHenry's big night, Jackson and Christian Kell also had big performances with three hits apiece.
 
In Game 2, the Bears got another strong pitching performance, this time from freshman Luke Lirette who went 6.0 innings, giving up only seven hits, two runs (both earned) and one walk while striking out three.
 
"It is always good getting the win in Game 1 so I knew that if I just came out here and threw strikes and trust my guys behind me, that it would come together," said Lirette who added that he felt like his game ramped-up later in the evening. "I felt like after the first few innings that I declined but towards the end of my outing I felt like I really picked it back up."
 
For the second-consecutive game, Holmes scored first as an RBI single in the first put the Bears in a 1-0 deficit.
 
Fortunately for the hosts, it did not last long as Southwest got the bats going early. Jackson led off with a double, marking his 21^st consecutive game reaching base, setting a new school record.
 
After Harrell joined him on the base paths with a single, Jones added one of his own, scoring Jackson. Next up was McHenry who followed suit, scoring Harrell before Williams did the same, bringing Jones home. Two batters later Thompson grounded out, allowing McHenry to touch home, making it a 4-1 game.  
 
A strong second inning from Lirette kept the momentum on the home side. However in the third, Holmes plated a run to cut the Bear lead in half at 4-2.
 
But the hosts answered with a three-run third consisting of a Thompson two-run double followed by an RBI single by Brett Boutwell pushing the Bear lead to 7-2.
 
A 1-2-3 inning from Lirette and the Bears in the third added more fuel to the fire before the offense shined once again. Jackson recorded an RBI single before scoring two at bats later on a Jones sacrifice fly making it a 9-2 game.
 
The hits kept coming for the Bears in the fifth with a four-run effort highlighted by RBI doubles from Thompson and Tyler Otts, an RBI single from Harrell and Boutwell knocking in a run on a fielder's choice. Three more runs came in the sixth as a bases-loaded hit by pitch was accompanied by RBI singles from Boutwell and Harrell.
 
With a 14-run advantage, the Bears got a strong outing from Caiden Necaise in the ninth as he closed out the contest by retiring the Bulldogs in order to preserve the win.
 
Harrell and Otts each had three hits in the win while Thompson posted two doubles and four RBIs.
 
The Bears hit the road on Wednesday with a short road trip to Raymond to face Hinds at 3 p.m. and 6 p.m.