On a day where several Lady Bears Softball sophomores were recognized, it was freshmen who stole the show Friday helping lead the charge in a sweep of visiting Holmes. Southwest took Game 1 2-0 before coming back late to claim a 3-2 win in Game 2.
"Were playing for life, not life in the sense of life and death but life for the playoffs," Southwest head coach Shea Johnson said. "We've said all along this is where we want to be. And unlike last year, we can talk about it now because we are in the hunt."
In the opener, the Lady Bears set the tone early with stellar pitching from Corin Talbot as the freshman recorded a strikeout in each of the first two innings.
She got help from the offense in the bottom half of the second as another freshmen in Kate Clements homered to center for her third of the season. Following the game, she said that she made some changes to her offensive approach and not tries to overthink things.
"I've been working on my own and really trying to slow my swing down," she said. "I've been trying to slow my body down, slow my mind down, slow my hands down which then slows the ball down to help me see it better. I haven't changed anything with my swing but just trying to go up there relaxed a little bit more and slow everything down."
Later in the inning, after Erin Acey got on base via a single, Malley Chase Faulkner brought her home with a triple down the right field line, making it a 2-0 game.
With the 2-0 lead, Talbot continued to deal and be a thorn in the sides of the Lady Bulldogs. She retired the side in order in the fifth before battling out of jams with two runners on in both the sixth and seventh innings to preserve the win.
Talbot went the distance for Southwest giving up only three hits and no walks while striking out five.
"I felt really confident, I felt like my balls were moving up, my velocity was up and I had a strong defense to back me up," she said.
Clements led the offense with a home run, a run scored and an RBI. Faulkner had a triple, and an RBI.
In Game 2, freshman starter Skye Sharp became locked in a pitcher's duel against Holmes' Mollie Swilley as neither allowed a run through the first three innings.
The Lady Bulldogs broke through first in the fourth with a run in the top half of the inning but it was answered by the Lady Bears in the bottom half. With two runners on, Clements delivered once again for Southwest with an RBI double scoring Liberty Gillihan and tying the game at 1.
Three batters later, Faulkner also carried over her stellar play from the first game with another big hit, this time in the form of an RBI single, scoring Talbot and giving the Lady Bears a 2-1 advantage.
Unfortunately, the Lady Bulldogs pulled even at 2-2 in the fifth, taking advantage of a Southwest mistake.
But the Lady Bears got the go-ahead run in the fifth when Alyssa Leggett hit a sacrifice fly to right, allowing Maggie Wilks to score making it a 3-2 game.
The Southwest defense shut the door on a pair of rallies by Holmes in the sixth and seventh innings to seal the win.
Sharp went 6.0 innings giving up only five hits, two runs (one earned) and two walks while striking out two.
Clements and Faulkner each had a hit and an RBI.
Southwest will be home again for its next doubleheader as Meridian comes to Summit on Wednesday. Game 1 is set to begin at 3 p.m.
