JACKSON – Using timely hitting and outstanding pitching performances, the Southwest Bears shocked the top-ranked Hinds Eagles Thursday afternoon with a 5-3 and 8-4 sweep of their MACJC doubleheader. The wins helped the Bears remain in the thick of the chase for a spot in the upcoming state playoffs.

“Our kids played hard,” said Southwest head man Ken Jackson. “They did the little things that we’ve been talking about all year long and today was just one of those days (in which) everything seemed to go right for us.”

“We made some great defensive plays,” Jackson went on, “we hit the ball with two outs (and) got some key hits with two outs and we got some quality pitching today. So, with all that, it’s a formula for success.”

The Bears took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning of game one when L. D. Coney led off with a double to centerfield and scored on Trent Gordy’s two-bagger with two outs. Duncan Cornfoot then followed with a base hit to send Gordy across the plate.

Hinds answered with two singles and a home run in the top of the second to take their only lead of the game, 3-2.

With two outs in the bottom of the fifth, the Bears regained the lead at 4-3 when Ross Buckley’s double scored Jarvis Warner and Buckley scored on an error.

The final run of the game came with one out in the bottom of the sixth when Dylan Spiers singled and later scored on Coney’s bases-loaded base hit.

Sam Richard pitched six innings, giving up three runs on seven hits and striking out two, to pick up the win. Brady Badon retired three of the five batters he faced, striking out two, to record the save.

Walt Aldridge, Brady Anderson and Steven Williams each had a single in the game.

The Bears took a 2-0, first-inning lead in the finale as well. This time, Coney led off with a single to centerfield. Kaleb Clarke’s double to left field with two outs sent Coney racing home. Gordy then picked up the first of his two hits in the game to score Warner.

Hinds picked up a run in the top of the second and two more in the top of the fourth to go ahead 3-2.

The Bears went back on top in the bottom of the fourth, 5-3, when Williams singled past third base to score Anderson, on base via a walk. A Spiers base hit then scored Williams and Reed James. James was on base with a single.

Coney led off the bottom of the seventh with a single, moved to second on a Spiers hit and to third on a steal, before scoring on Buckley’s ground out. Clarke then smashed a 1-2 pitch over the fence in left, his third hit of the game, to score Spiers.

Hinds added a single run in the top of the eighth, but that was to be the last run of the game as the Bears went on to record the win and the sweep.

Jordan McCaffrey pitched 1.2 innings of relief, allowing only a walk while striking out a batter, to pick up the win for the Bears. Anderson and Warner both had a single in the game.

The Bears return to action Saturday when they travel up I55 to Clarksdale to face the Coahoma Tigers. The conference twinbill is scheduled for a 1:00 start.