Despite playing a good brand of softball, Friday, on Day 1 of the JUCO Classic in Vicksburg, the Lady Bears were unable to come out on top against two tough opponents, dropping Game 1 to LSU-Eunice 12-6 and Game 2 to Kirkwood 8-0.
 
After the games, Southwest head coach Shea Johnson said that the scores were not indicative of the effort his team put forth in both contests.
 
"They fought," he said. "As far as the fight and the level of competition we played, it was two of the better teams."
 
In Game 1 against LSU-Eunice, the Lady Bears (3-11) grabbed an early 1-0 advantage when Corin Talbot singled and scored two batters later when Alyssa Leggett singled to center.
 
But the momentum was short-lived as Eunice tied the game in the bottom half of the inning.
 
In the second, the Lady Bears went on a run, plating four additional runs that came on an RBI single from Maggie Wilks, a two-RBI double from Allie Ladnier and Talbot scoring as Leggett reached on an error. Southwest led 5-1.
 
The Lady Bengals plated two runs in the second before tying the game in the third on a home run.
 
In the fifth, Eunice rallied to add six runs, putting Southwest down 11-5. The Lady Bears responded in the sixth with a run on a Ladnier single.
 
Eunice plated its last run in the sixth making the score the eventual final.
 
Talbot led Southwest with three hits and two runs scored while Ladnier had two hits and three RBIs.
 
In Game 2 against Kirkwood, Southwest was unable to find the right consistency, offensively.
 
Kirkwood scored two runs each in the fourth and fifth innings and four in the sixth.

Talbot once again led the Lady Bears with two hits.

Southwest will wrap play at the JUCO Classic with a pair of contests on Saturday. The Lady Bears face Coastal Alabama – North at 11 a.m. and Southeastern Arkansas at 1:30 p.m.