DECATUR – The Southwest Lady Bears dropped a pair of MACJC South Division softball contests in Decatur Wednesday as host East Central won 6-5 and 8-5.

The Lady Bears return home Friday as they host the Meridian Lady Eagles in a 1:00 doubleheader. Sophomore Day will be celebrated prior to the start of game one.

East Central 6, Southwest 5 

Ty Buckley put the Lady Warriors (29-11, 14-8) on top 1-0 in bottom of the opening inning in game one with a two-out home run over the left field fence. Southwest tied the game in the top of the second when Payton Lewis reach base on a lead-off walk and later scored when Chelsea Nette reached on an error.

The Lady Bears (10-23, 6-16) sent seven batters to the plate and took a 3-1 lead in the top of the fourth. Marisa Pruski walked and later scored on Abi Hall’s single while a Harley Myers base hit sent Shaden Miller to the plate.

Base hits from Kaylin Hopkins and Mallory Turner helped the Lady Warriors pick up a run and make it 3-2 in the bottom of the fifth.

The Lady Bears extended their lead to 5-2 in the top of the sixth when Nette reached base on an error and scored on Myers home run to centerfield. Myers had three hits in the game.

Four walks, two errors and a base hit aided the Lady Warriors as they scored three runs in their half of the sixth and tie the game at 5-5. Another pair of errors and a single then allowed the winning run to score with one out in the bottom of the seventh.

Maddy Teague went the distance in the circle, allowing six runs (three earned) on seven hits, in taking the loss for the Lady Bears. She struck out three batters and walked six.

Miller had two hits in the game for the Lady Bears while Kristen Gekler, Brie Harper and Mary Margaret McLaurin all hit safely.

East Central 8, Southwest 5 

The Lady Bears took a 2-0, first-inning lead in the finale when Gekler singled with two outs and scored on Harper’s home run to left field. East Central answered with a run in the bottom of the inning to make the score 2-1.

Lewis, Miller and Nette singled, Hall had a double and Myers a sacrifice fly as the Lady Bears added three runs, and pushed their lead to 5-1, in the top of the second.

The Lady Warriors began their comeback with a solo run in the bottom of the third that made the score 5-2. They then went on top, 6-5, with four runs in the fifth inning and picked up their final two runs in the sixth.

Hall took the loss in the circle for the Lady Bears. Pitching four innings, she gave up six runs (five earned) on four hits while striking out one and walking four. Leanne Jackson gave up two runs (one earned) on three hits and walked two batters. McLaurin and Myers both hit safely.