Despite not playing for nearly a week, the Lady Bears showed little signs of fatigue picking up a sweep over the visiting East Mississippi Lady Lions Sunday taking Game 1, 11-3 in 5 innings and Game 2, 7-3.
 
"The girls played well," Southwest head coach Shea Johnson said. "We had a great outing today."
 
The offense, defense and pitching from the Lady Bears (15-23, 5-15 MACCC) had strong showings in both contests.
 
In Game 1, Mia Pumila pitched all five innings giving up only three runs (all earned), nine hits and no walks while striking out five. After the game, the sophomore from Metairie, LA said that even before the game started, she had a positive feeling.
 
"I felt that we were pretty strong today. I felt when we were warming up that we had some good energy and I felt like today was going to be good," she said. "I tried to do my best and do what I can do. My defense helped a lot and my offense was right back behind me too."
 
Down 2-0, halfway through the first, the offense immediately got the bats going as well. Singles from Kayci Beth Wallace and Sarah Stockstill set the tone before a Kacey Stampley double to center brought Stockstill home cutting the East Mississippi lead in half at 2-1.
 
After Pumila regained her composure in the second, allowing no runs while striking out two, the Lady Bear offense had another strong inning in the bottom half. Anne Claire Sistrunk doubled to kick things off and after Madi Smith and Rowan Braley got on to load the bases, Lilli Robertson walked bringing pinch runner Robin Neblett home, tying the game at 2.
 
In acts of déjà vu, the Lady Bears once again plated single runs in both the third and fourth innings on a Smith sacrifice bunt and a Stockstill RBI double, respectively, the latter making it a 4-2 game. Afterward Stockstill commented on her performance, going 3-for-4 with two runs scored and three RBIs. "I knew that I had to put the ball in play in order for runs to score and that is what I did," she said.
 
The Lady Lions inched closer in the fifth following a solo home run to left, but Pumila did not let that get to her one bit, retiring the ensuing batter to end the inning.
 
Her offense broke the game open the next half inning. Smith recorded another RBI, this time on a ground out. Later in the inning, Wallace and Robertson provided back-to-back RBI singles before they both scored when ensuing batter Stockstill doubled to right. Following two walks, Sistrunk hit an RBI single followed by Stampley scoring on an East Mississippi error, providing the 11^th and final Southwest run of the game.
 
In addition to Stockstill's big game, Sistrunk also shined going 4-for-4 with one run scored and one RBI. Wallace finished with three hits, two runs scored and an RBI.
 
In Game 2, Emme Wallace got the start and did not take long setting the tone, retiring three of the first four batters that she faced.
 
Her offense also had a strong start as the Lady Bears pushed one run across in the first when Anlyssa Richardson reached on a dropped third strike, allowing Kayci Beth Wallace to race home putting the hosts ahead 1-0.
 
The Lady Lions drew even in the second on a fielder's choice before a two-run single the following inning put the Lady Bears in a 3-1 hole.
 
However, in the third, Southwest battled back. Morgan Gras entered as a pinch hitter and the freshman from Hammond, LA stepped up big with an RBI single. Her big hit was immediately followed by one from Sistrunk, tying the game at 3. Two batters later Addie Bagwell entered the fray with an RBI single of her own, as hers plated two runs giving the Lady Bears a 5-3 lead.
 
Wallace came back out on the mound in the fourth and used the big inning as motivation, sitting the East Mississippi side down in order, keeping the momentum on the home side. She did the same in the top of the fifth before her offense gave her some insurance runs in the bottom half.
 
During consecutive at bats, Bagwell grounded into a fielder's choice, scoring a run before Shaylee Ingram grounded out, pushing another run across the plate and pushing the Southwest lead to 7-3.
 
From there, Wallace ran into a bit of trouble in both the sixth and seventh innings as East Mississippi put two runners on in each inning. But Wallace regained her composure and fought to get the final outs with no additional damage done.
 
After the game, she said that the main adjustments that she had to make during the game involved not only what she was doing physically but also her mindset.
 
 "Once I got out there and said 'ok, they are getting some hits off of me, I have to adjust and not only adjust what was physical but also mental,'" she said.
 
Wallace pitched a complete game, striking out two while giving up only six hits, three runs (two earned) and one walk.
 
Sistrunk followed up her big Game 1 with another strong performance in the night cap posting a 2-for-3, two run, one RBI effort. Like Wallace, she said that she had to make some adjustments to her game as well. "I've been struggling at the plate and I came up there with a whole new mindset and hit the ball," she said. "I wasn't being simple enough, when I was up to bat I was trying to make it more difficult than it really was." 

Gras also had a big day at the plate with two hits as well to go along with two runs scored and one RBI. Bagwell also had two hits and three RBIs.
 
The Lady Bears have a quick turnaround as they now shift their focus to Tuesday, welcoming in the No. 10 Co-Lin Lady Wolves in for a pair of games. Game 1 kicks off at 3 p.m.