Southwest got big contributions from a trio of sophomores in Darius Dampier, Cody Presley and Trace Roy, Wednesday, as the Bears scored early and held off a late rally from Hinds, sealing a 4-3 win. The game was the first of two played at Co-Lin. The Bears unfortunately fell to the Wolves 5-1 in the nightcap.
Southwest head coach Jack Edmonson agreed that the trio stood out in the Game 1 win but added that he was proud of the way the team did as a whole."
"Our guys played well and got some hits when we needed them," he said. "I'm really proud of the way that we played there."
Presley led the Bears going 2-for-2 with an RBI and two runs scored. Roy had a triple and two runs scored.
Dampier — who got the start — went 5.0 innings giving up only three hits, no runs and one walk while striking out three.
"Darius pitched five shutout innings and he did a good job," said Edmonson who was very pleased with the outing of the sophomore left-hander, who notched his first win Wednesday.
While Dampier regained his composure and battled out of a bit of a jam with two runners on in the first, the offense of the Bears (6-9) got established in the bottom half of the inning and provided some help. Walks to Cam Bolden and Presley put two runners on. Bolden advanced to third on a defensive interference ruling before both he and Presley touched home during the ensuing at bat when Roy tripled to left-center putting Southwest up 2-0.
"Cody (Presley) did a good job before me, drawing a walk and with two runners on, two outs and a 3-1 count," Roy siad. "I was looking for something over the plate that I can get a barrel on and he threw me a fastball over the middle and I was able to get my foot down, hit it well and it worked out for us."
With the 2-0 lead, Dampier used that as motivation and settled down, being a thorn in the side of the Eagles over the next two innings which included not only keeping Hinds off the board, but also picking up two strikeouts in the third.
He got additional help from the offense in the bottom half of the third when Presley doubled to center and scored later in the inning on an error by the Hinds shortstop, making the score 3-0.
The Bears added to their lead two innings later when Cooper Lewis, who singled earlier in the inning, touched home following a Presley single to left increasing the Bear lead to 4-0.
The Eagles scored two runs in the sixth and rallied in the seventh, plating one run and loading the bases with one out before Bolden converted a huge 6-3 double play to end the game and preserve the win for Southwest.
In the nightcap against Co-Lin, Southwest once again made the first move, lighting up its side of the scoreboard first in the top of the first inning. Lewis hit a line drive double to left and scored three at bats later when Roy singled to center giving the Bears a 1-0 advantage.
The momentum, unfortunately, didn't last as the Wolves answered with a three-run bottom of the first with scores coming on a double and a two-run home run putting the Bears down 3-1.
Southwest once again swung the bats well in the second putting two runners on following singles from Davis Knight and Jonathon Miller, but they were unable to score.
Co-Lin scored two runs in the sixth on an error followed by an RBI single, making the score the eventual final.
Roy led the charge in the game with a hit, and an RBI.
Southwest returns home Friday hosting No. 9 Southeastern in a doubleheader at 2 p.m. and 5 p.m.
