Day 1 of the 2024 JUCO Classic was a bit of a roller coaster for the Lady Bears as freshman Lauren Mounce tied the school strikeout record at 17 in a 12-4 win over Metropolitan, but Southwest unfortunately came up short in Game 2, falling 5-1 to No. 4 Parkland College.
 
"It was a great first day," Southwest head coach Shea Johnson said. "Lauren (Mounce) had 17 strikeouts and that is pretty darn good and we scored 12 runs against a good team. And to play that team (in Parkland) to a 5-1 ballgame, that is a bright spot."
 
Mounce got the start for the Lady Bears (9-3) in Game 1 and ran into some early trouble as the Lady Wolves plated two runs in the bottom of the first putting Southwest down. Despite this, she struck out the next two batters keeping a Metropolitan runner on second base at bay.
 
The Lady Bears answered right back in the second as Mounce helped her own cause with a two-RBI single to center scoring Shaylee Ingram and MaryClaire Johnson. After Anlyssa Richardson followed with a single, keeping the inning going, Maggie Wilks helped deliver the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly to right, allowing Anne Claire Sistrunk to touch home, giving Southwest a 3-2 lead.
 
Mounce picked up where she left off in the first inning by striking out the side in the second.
 
The Lady Wolves regained the lead in the third, pushing two runs across and making it a 4-3 deficit for the Lady Bears.
 
In the fifth, the Lady Bears answered on a Presley Dease double, followed by an Alyssa Leggett triple and a Morgan Gras sacrifice fly, all plating a run apiece, respectfully, giving Southwest a 6-4 advantage.
 
The Lady Bears broke the game open in the seventh. With Leggett and Gras on base via singles, Gabby Carr brought the previous home on a double to center. Abby Pevey followed with an RBI single, scoring both Gras and Carr and increasing the Southwest lead to 9-4. Later in the inning it was Liberty Gillihan's turn to deliver as she had a bases-clearing RBI double to left bringing Wilks, Pevey and Richardson home making the score the eventual final.
 
Mounce helped seal the game with two more strikeouts in the seventh for the Lady Bears. In addition to her 17 strikeouts, she finished the contest giving up only seven hits, four runs (all earned) and no walks.
 
Offensively, Dease and Leggett finished with two hits apiece. Gillihan had three RBIs.
 
In Game 2 against Parkland, the Lady Bears fell behind in the first as the Lady Cobras plated two runs.
 
Southwest answered back in the fourth when Dease hit into a fielder's choice which allowed Richardson to score cutting the Parkland lead in half at 2-1.
 
But the Lady Cobras added a run the following inning, once again making the deficit two for the Lady Bears.
 
Southwest struggled a bit trying to find the right offensive consistency.
 
Parkland added to its lead in the sixth with a two-run home run making it a 5-1 lead for the Lady Cobras.
 
The Lady Bears threatened in the seventh as Brooke Tillman hit a double to left putting a runner in scoring position. But they ran out of gas from there as Parkland took the win.
 
Richardson finished with a hit and a run scored to lead the Lady Bear offense.
 
Southwest has a quick turnaround as the Lady Bears will face two more opponents, Saturday on Day 2 of the JUCO Classic. First up is a contest against St. Charles CC at 11 a.m. followed by a game against Coastal Alabama – North at 1:30 p.m.