Playing at home has been good to the Lady Bears thus far this season and entering Thursday, they were hoping to keep up their stellar level of play in a pair of contests against Baton Rouge. But mistakes hurt Southwest as the host Lady Bears fell to the visiting Lady Bears 14-9 in Game 1 and 14-8 in Game 2.
 
"You are not supposed to lose games when you score 17 runs and get 25 hits in a night," Southwest head coach Shea Johnson said. "We were doing what we need to do there but we just couldn't make the routine play."
 
In Game 1, Southwest (2-8) struggled early on as Baton Rouge plated five runs in the first inning. The deficit unfortunately grew in the second as the visitors added two more runs making it a 7-0 game.
 
Despite the slow start, Southwest continued to fight and it showed on the scoreboard in the bottom half of the inning.
 
With two runners on and one out, Lauryn Roebuck doubled to center, bringing Alyssa Leggett and Corin Talbot home. Later in the inning, Roebuck scored when Maggie Wilks singled to right. During the ensuing at bat, Erin Acey touched home after Liberty Gillihan hit a sacrifice fly to center field. When the dust settled, Southwest pulled within three at 7-4.
 
Allie Ladnier, who came back on to pitch after being relieved by Abbey Pevey went back to work in the third, retiring three of the four batters she faced, keeping the momentum on the home side.

It benefited Southwest in the bottom half of the third. Pevey led off with a single and advanced to second during the ensuing at bat when Kate Clements hit a sacrifice bunt. During the next at bat, Pevey scored when Leggett doubled to center. Next up was Talbot who smashed a two-run home run over the left field wall, tying the game at 7.
 
Unfortunately, the momentum didn't last long as Baton Rouge jumped back on top in the fourth with a run making it an 8-7 game.
 
That score stayed true until the sixth when the visitors rallied to plate three additional runs putting Southwest down 11-7.
 
Baton Rouge added two more runs in the seventh before Southwest tried to mount a rally, but it was cut short at only two runs as the visitors took the first game.
 
Leggett led Southwest with two doubles, two runs scored and two RBIs. Gillihan also had two hits.
 
In Game 2, Southwest recorded more hits but they were unfortunately overshadowed by mistakes.
 
Baton Rouge got its offense going early once again with one run in the first and four additional in the second, putting Southwest down 5-0.
 
And once again Southwest showed great resilience, climbing back into the ball game. In the third, Wilks touched home as Pevey reached on an error. Two at bats later, Clements hit a two-run single before Leggett hit an RBI double making it a 5-4 game in favor of the visitors.
 
A 1-2-3 inning in the top of the fourth by Southwest starter Skye Sharp and the defense, kept the momentum on the home side.
 
It showed offensively as Southwest added two more runs in the fourth, taking the lead at 6-5.
 
After Baton Rouge returned the favor in the fifth with a pair of runs, Southwest continued the tug of war with two more runs of its own in the bottom half of the inning to jump ahead once again at 8-7. But the visitors went on another run in the sixth, scoring three runs to put the hosts down 10-8.
 
Southwest could not respond and fell in a deeper hole in the seventh with Baton Rouge scoring four additional runs before taking the win.
 
Wilks led Southwest going 3-for-4 with three runs scored.
 
Southwest will be back in action on Tuesday at John Melvin at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.