Reigning MACCC Softball Pitcher of the Week Lauren Mounce pitched a combined 10 innings while the Lady Bears got big offensive performances from Anlyssa Richardson in Game 1 and Morgan Gras in Game 2 as Southwest swept John Melvin at home, Tuesday, with a pair of 3-1 wins.
"I think in all, we played very good softball," Southwest head coach Shea Johnson said. "I'm very pleased with where the girls are."
Mounce picked up the wins in both contests going the distance in Game 1 before coming on in relief in Game 2. She had a combined 19 strikeouts in the contests while giving up no walks, two hits and only run (earned).
"I felt great today," Mounce said. "Coach Shea makes sure that we take care of our arms and with all of the rehab that we do, that helps and that is definitely what has helped me over the last two weeks."
She quickly set the tone in Game 1 by striking out the side in the first inning and following that up by not allowing a Lady Miller baserunner through the first three innings.
The Southwest (8-2) offense provided help in the fourth. Richardson led off with a single and later scored the game's first run when Presley Dease doubled to left.
With the 1-0 lead Mounce went right back to work, keeping John Melvin at bay in the fourth. She ran into some trouble in the fifth when the Lady Millers tied the game on a solo home run to left.
Despite this, Mounce pressed on and retired the side in order in the sixth. Her offense stepped up once again as Abbey Pevey walked before Shaylee Ingram and Alyssa Leggett each singled. Three batters later, Richardson delivered once again with a two-run single to center putting Southwest up 2-0.
"Whenever I was up, I needed to get that hit because it was one of our last opportunities to win," said Richardson who went 2-for-4 with a run scored and two RBIs. "That was in my mindset that I just needed to get this hit somewhere in the field and on the ground."
Mounce closed out the Lady Millers in the seventh to preserve the win. She finished Game 1 with 12 strikeouts.
In Game 2, Karleigh Daze' got the start in the circle and ran into a bit of trouble in the first inning as a Lady Bear error resulted in the first run of the game putting Southwest down 1-0. Despite this, she battled back to get the third out in the first and carried that momentum over to the second where she retired the side in order.
She prevented any further John Melvin runs over the next two innings but the offense struggled to get anything going.
Mounce relieved Daze' in the fifth and picked up where she left off in Game 1, striking out two batters in the inning.
The offense plated its first run of the contest in the bottom half of the inning when Anne Claire Sistrunk reached base via a single and later scored on a Lady Miller error, tying the game at 1.
Mounce continued her stellar pitching in the sixth before the offense grabbed the lead in the bottom half of the inning. Dease led off with a double and was replaced by pinch runner Londyn Robertson who scored during the ensuing at bat when Gras singled to left putting Southwest ahead 2-1.
"I was just trying to look for my pitch," Gras said. "I was looking for the inside pitch because she was pitching inside all game. Coach Larry (Lippert) told me to back off the plate and send it back up (the middle)."
Later in the inning, Erin Acey followed suit with an RBI single of her own scoring Gras and increasing the Lady Bear lead to 3-1.
Mounce struck out the side in the seventh sealing the win for the Lady Bears.
Gras, Acey and Sistrunk each had two hits. Gras added a run scored and an RBI, while Sistrunk had a run scored and Acey an RBI.
The Lady Bears head to Vicksburg on Friday to face Metropolitan CC at 2:30 p.m. and Parkland at 5 p.m. in the JUCO Classic hosted by Hinds.
