Each team was able to claim a victory on Thursday in the first two matchups of the season between Southwest Mississippi Community College and Copiah-Lincoln Community College.
The Bears and Wolves played in Summit on Thursday and will resume their rivalry on Wednesday, Feb. 26 in Wesson for a single game.
The first three games of the series go in the books as non-conference games, but when they play again on March 18 in Wesson for a doubleheader, that’ll be a MACCC pairing that’ll count in the league standings.
Southwest and coach Jack Edmonson, a CLCC assistant coach before taking the head job in Summit, took the opener 6-1 behind a 7-inning complete game from pitcher Dawson Richard. A native of Berwick, Louisiana, Richard struck out three, walked four, gave up one earned run and scattered six hits.
CLCC and coach Adam Chamblee ended up using four pitchers in the loss. Freshman Parker Ish-ee (Ridgeland High) took his first collegiate loss after giving up five earned runs on five hits in 2.2 innings of work.
The Wolves bounced back to win 7-1 in game two, another 7-inning affair.
Southwest jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first, but CLCC responded with one run in the third and then surged ahead with a four run fourth inning.
Co-Lin freshman hurler Jennings Kimbrell moved to 3-0 on the season with a complete game performance. A graduate of St. Joseph Catholic in Madison, Kimbrell gave up six hits and one earned run while walking two and striking out five.
At the plate, the Wolves got a pair of RBIs from sophomore outfielder Reise Thomas (Florence High). Thomas hit a triple while Caleb Brooks (Northwest Rankin), Trey Davidson (Northwest Rankin), and Avery Griffin (Brookhaven Academy) had one RBI each in the win for Co-Lin.
Southwest is 4-5 and will host Mississippi Gulf Coast and Meridian CC on Tuesday for a pair of non-division games against those MACCC foes.
Co-Lin is on the road to play two games at Nunez Community College in Chalmette, Louisiana on Saturday.
The Wolves are 9-2 overall and have a 12 p.m. first pitch scheduled for their Saturday matchup with the Nunez Pelicans.
Chamblee and CLCC will play at Mississippi Delta on Tuesday and then be back at home on Thursday, Feb. 20 for two games against Rend Lake (Illinois) CC.