The fans of Copiah-Lincoln Community College and Southwest Mississippi Community College went down and up Interstate 55 this week as the two schools played baseball in Wesson on Tuesday and softball in Summit on Wednesday.

The weather was windy, but gorgeous and the crowds were indicative of how much folks love to see the rivals face off in Mississippi Association of Community Colleges Conference (MACCC) play.

There were some tight finishes, but at the end of the day, CLCC went 4-0 on the week with wins in baseball (6-3, 2-1) and softball (11-2, 14-6).

The baseball matchups were number four and five for the schools on the season. With K-106 Radio and Coca-Cola putting sponsorship dollars into the rivalry, the baseball programs have played a number of years for a traveling trophy in the form of a wooden bat.

That totem will stay in Wesson another year as CLCC went 4-1 against the Bears in baseball this season. Southwest won the first matchup 6-1 at home on Feb. 13. The Wolves bounced back to win 7-1 in a second game on that day. On Feb. 26 the Wolves won 5-1 in Wesson in a single game.

SMCC head baseball coach Jack Edmonson, himself a former Co-Lin assistant, saw his team let a winnable game slip away in the opener on Wednesday.

The Bears outhit the Wolves but were undone by six errors in a game that they led 1-0 after the top of the first. Things were tied at 2-2 through four complete, before Co-Lin pulled away late in a 9-inning game.

Co-Lin head coach Adam Chamblee and his staff are dealing with a rash of injuries suffered by the pitching staff. Some of the strongest young arms on the roster are out of commission, meaning  there will be increased roles for everyone on the staff as the top end of the MACCC Pearl River (23-5), East Central (22-6), and Jones College (19-6) looms on the schedule.

Freshman Cohen Weinhofer, a native of Ocean Springs that prepped at St. Patrick Catholic, gave the Wolves a strong effort on the mound in game one.

Weinhofer went seven innings and struck out two while scattering seven hits and giving up two earned runs. He is now 4-2 on the year. Freshman Nash Sturdivant (Northwest Rankin) was equally good over the final two innings of relief.

Sophomore outfielder Tucker Jones (Northwest Rankin) and freshman infielder Bradley Hanlon (Neville High, La.) both had two RBI days at the plate for Co-Lin in the opener.

Brookhaven High graduate Jake Meilstrup had two hits for Southwest in his leadoff position.

Meilstrup had a two-hit day in game two, which was a seven-inning duel between freshman Jennings Kimbrell (St. Joe-Madison) of Co-Lin and sophomore Dawson Richard (Berwick High, La.) of Southwest.

Kimbrell struck out three, walked one, and gave up one earned run on five hits. Richard struck out seven, walked three, and gave up two earned runs on three hits.

The two runs for the winners came off the bat of freshman infielder Trey Davidson (Northwest Rankin) via a two-run homerun.

Home runs were the order of the day for the Co-Lin softball team on Wednesday when they traveled to Summit to battle the Bears.

The wind was blowing stiffly at times from centerfield, but it looked like Co-Lin’s big bats were hitting them above the jetstream as the Wolves had three home runs in game one.

It has felt lately like the freshmen on the roster have started finding their groove at the plate for Co-Lin softball.

That was the case on Wednesday with freshman infielder Brelie Phillips (Newton County) hitting one home run and freshman catcher Morgan Chisolm (Madison Central) hitting two home runs in a 11-2 win in which CLCC had 16 hits.

CLCC also got a triple from sophomore Emeri Warren (Leake Academy) in game one. Sophomore outfielder Carson Hughey, a Loyd Star grad, doubled twice in that game and CLCC also got a double from sophomore outfielder Avery Williams (Lewisburg High).

Freshman infielder Abby Burnette, also a Loyd Star alum, had a combined three hits on the day for the Wolves.

Sophomore pitcher Emily Richarde (Lakeland, Tn.) stayed undefeated in the circle by striking out three and giving up one earned run on three hits. Sophomore Keegan McCorkle threw the seventh inning and gave up one earned run on two hits.

CLCC head coach Meleah Howard gave McCorkle a call in game one when Co-Lin was up big and in game two, she again called for the native of Tyronza, Arkansas, but this time it was when the Wolves were in a hole.

Co-Lin led 4-0 early in the second game, but the Bears got hot to start the third, exciting their fans in attendance as they surged ahead 6-4.

Sophomore Taylor Efferson (Holden, La.) got the start in the circle for Co-Lin and she was replaced in that Southwest surge by sophomore Emma Kate Fimiano (Petal High).

When Southwest stayed hot, Howard called for McCorkle to come in and with the bases loaded, she got a strikeout to end the third with Southwest up by two runs.

As was the case in game one, Co-Lin did much of its damage with two outs, as they scored the final three runs of the frame with two away. A six run fifth by CLCC ended the game in five innings.

McCorkle struck out four and gave up two hits in 2.1 innings of work.

Efferson and sophomore infielder Olivia Banes (Simpson Academy) each had four RBIs in game two for Co-Lin.

Loyd Star alum Alyssa Leggett had an RBI for Southwest coach Shea Johnson in game two.

The Co-Lin softball team (21-3, 8-0 MACCC) will be back at home on Saturday, taking on Northwest Mississippi CC (23-3, 4-2 MACCC). Co-Lin was ranked seventh in the latest NJCAA Division II poll while Northwest was tabbed as the ninth ranked team.

First pitch of the doubleheader on Saturday in Wesson is scheduled for 1 p.m.

Southwest Mississippi softball (8-18, 2-6 MACCC) will host Coahoma CC on Saturday at 1 p.m. in Summit. Coahoma lost a game 40-0 earlier this season against Northeast Mississippi CC.

The Co-Lin baseball team (20-11, 4-2 MACCC) is on the road at Northwest Mississippi (19-8, 2-4 MACCC) on Saturday in Senatobia with a 2 p.m. first pitch.

Southwest Mississippi baseball (11-18, 2-4 MACCC) is at Coahoma CC in Clarksdale on Saturday for a 12 p.m. first pitch against a CCC squad that split with Co-Lin in league play earlier this month.