JACKSON — After months of practice, the season opener finally came Saturday for the Bears in a doubleheader against Southern Arkansas University Tech at Smith-Wills Stadium in Jackson.
 
And even though they picked up a hard-fought 7-2 win in Game 1, they unfortunately couldn't keep the momentum going in Game 2, falling 5-1.
 
After the game, Southwest head coach Jack Edmonson was pleased with the way the day started but disappointed in how it ended.
 
"We didn't play well in Game 2, we have to play better in Game 2," said Edmonson who also talked about some of the bright spots he saw on the day. "We had some freshmen that played really well today. We had some guys put some good swings on some balls."
 
In Game 1, the Bears (1-1) set the tone early defensively. Starting pitcher Dawson Richard got a 1-2-3 first inning, picking up a strikeout along the way. Even though he allowed two base runners in the second, he did not allow any runs to cross, keeping the Rockets from striking first.
 
The Bear offense went on a run in the third as it got into rhythm. The rally stared courtesy of Lane Steinwinder who kicked off the inning with a double. He said after the game that he felt he had to give his team a boost.
 
"The first two innings went by really quick. We had two three-up, three-down innings," he said. "I came up, batting in the seventh hole and I knew that I had to get something going."
 
After the double, ensuing batter Cameron Bolden followed up with a single. Steinwinder scored during the next at bat on a wild pitch. Following a walk to Zayne Landry, back-to-back RBI doubles from Gage Hinnant and Cody Presley — with the latter's resulting in two runs scored — put Southwest up 4-0. Later in the inning, Presley scored on an error. When the dust settled at the end of the inning, the Bears batted around the lineup and enjoyed a 6-0 lead.
 
That lead grew by one the following inning when Presley singled to center scoring Jonathon Miller.
 
The Rockets plated a run each in the fifth and sixth innings but it wasn't enough as Southwest sealed the win.
 
Presley led the Bears offensively with two hits, a run scored and three RBIs. Hinnant had three hits a run scored and an RBI.
 
Richard went 4.1 innings, striking out three while giving up only three hits, one run (earned) and one walk.
 
"I felt good," Richard said. "The first through the fourth innings went smooth. I hit a little bit of a road bump in the fifth but I knew that I had my defense behind me so I kept throwing strikes and knew that they would make the plays."
 
The strong defense unfortunately did not carry over into the second game. Errors and inconsistent play hurt the Bears.
 
Southwest did jump ahead first in the second inning as it took advantage of an SAU Tech error allowing Cater Hathcock to score making it a 1-0 game.
 
Unfortunately, it was answered the following inning with a solo home run tying the game at 1.
 
Two innings later, a Bear error allowed an SAU Tech runner to reach second. During the ensuing at bat, the Rockets took the lead on a double, putting Southwest down 2-1.
 
After Southwest was unable to answer in the fifth, the Rockets added to their lead in the sixth, plating three additional runs making it a 5-1 game.
 
Down to their last three outs, the Bears rallied in the top of the seventh. They loaded the bases with no outs on three-consecutive walks but unfortunately could not score following three tough strikeouts, sealing the win for SAU Tech.
 
Both teams will face off again in a rubber match on Sunday at 12 p.m. at Smith-Wills Stadium.