Sophomore Luke Lirette put together arguably his best performance as a Bear in Saturday's Game 2 at Holmes going the distance and setting a new career high with 14 strikeouts helping the Bears get a 4-0 win and a split with the host Bulldogs who took Game 1, 12-4.
"Holmes played great today, they played really good all day," Southwest head coach Jack Edmonson said. "They just beat us in the first game. (In Game 2) we played offense like we have been doing and we were able to get some runs and they didn't."
In Game 1, the Bears (19-26, 7-11 MACCC) fell behind in the first inning after the Bulldogs pushed a run across. But the visitors answered right back as Colson Thompson continued his big week with a solo home run to left to kick off the second inning, tying the game at 1.
But Holmes responded right back with four runs putting the Bears down 5-1.
Cody Presley entered the fray in the third inning with a two-run home run to left, scoring Marcus Jackson and pulling Southwest within two at 5-3. Unfortunately, that would be the closest that the Bears would get for the remainder of the contest.
The Bulldogs scored two in the fifth, one in the sixth and added two more in the seventh before the Bears scratched their last run across in the ninth on yet another Thompson home run, his fourth of the week, to make the score the eventual final.
Thompson led the Bears with two home runs, two runs scored and two RBIs.
In Game 2, it was the Bears' turn to make the quick statement with a run in the first inning on an RBI single from Gage Hinnant.
Leading 1-0, starter Luke Lirette fed off of the early momentum getting his first strikeout and keeping the Bulldogs from responding.
His offense provided additional help in the third when Nolan Walther singled to center allowing Gavin Bledsoe to touch home and giving Southwest a 2-0 advantage.
That lead grew by one in the third. After Hinnant led off with a double, Lane Steinwinder followed suit, scoring Hinnant and pushing the Bear lead to 3-0.
The Bears made it three-consecutive innings of producing a run as a Presley single in the fifth scored Bledsoe giving Southwest its fourth and final run of the game.
From there, Lirette continued to shine striking out the side in the sixth before picking up two more in the seventh, putting a bow on his huge day on the mound and helping the Bears seal the win.
Offensively, Presley, Steinwinder and Hinnant all led the charge as each recorded two hits and an RBI. Bledsoe also had a big day with two hits and two runs scored.
The Bears return home to face Hinds Tuesday at 3 p.m. and 6 p.m.
NEW RECORDS
Lirette not only set a new career high in strikeouts but he also added his name to the Southwest Baseball record books. He now stands at 144 strikeouts which is a new career team record. Also setting a new mark was Jackson whose 35 walks is a new team season record.
