Indians Take Opener, Drops Wild Nightcap to Southwest

FULTON, Miss. - Itawamba split Saturday's doubleheader with Southwest, using a late push to take the opener before falling in a high-scoring back-and-forth game in the nightcap.

Game 1: Indians 4, Southwest 3

The Indians stayed in control of the opener for most of the afternoon, then answered immediately after the Bears pulled even late.

Southwest opened the scoring with a solo home run in the first, but ICC moved in front in the second. Tre Gunn scored on an error to tie the game at 1-1, then Brody Thompson followed with a single down the left field line that brought home Jack Howell for a 2-1 lead.

That score held until the seventh, when Madden Butler tripled to left and scored Reid Kent to extend the advantage to 3-1.

Southwest tied the game in the eighth on a two-run home run, but ICC responded in the bottom half. With the bases loaded, Cannon Graham drew a walk that forced in Howell and gave the Indians the lead back at 4-3.

That was enough for ICC to finish it.

Solomon Smith worked eight innings and allowed four hits and three runs while striking out five and walking none. Andrew Williams picked up the win in relief after tossing a scoreless ninth, allowing one hit with one strikeout and one walk.

"I was really proud of Solomon in Game 1 because he gave us our best start of the season," head coach Slater Lott said. "He deserved that. He works his tail off."

Game 2: Southwest 14, Indians 12

The second game turned into a long back-and-forth offensive game, and ICC answered several deficits before Southwest broke the final tie in the ninth.

Southwest scored in the first, but the Indians answered in the bottom half when Will Caviness singled down the right field line to score Kent and make it 1-1.

The Bears built a 5-1 lead in the second, then ICC started working back. Kent drove in a run with a single in the third, and Howell was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to cut the deficit to 5-3.

ICC pulled even in the fourth. Graham doubled to score Thompson, then Butler followed with an RBI single that tied the game at 5-5.

Southwest moved back in front 8-5 in the fifth on a run-scoring triple, but Graham answered again in the bottom half with an RBI single to make it 8-6.

After Southwest added another run, ICC got even in the seventh on the biggest swing of the day. Kent homered to left on a full count, scoring Jack Cummings and Graham to tie the game at 9-9.

Southwest answered with three runs in the eighth to go back in front 12-9. ICC came back again in the bottom half. Graham singled home Cummings, Butler drew a walk that forced in Thompson and Caviness lifted a sacrifice fly to right to score Graham and tie the game at 12-12.

Southwest broke through in the ninth and held on to take the split.

ICC finished with 17 hits in the loss. Kent went 5-for-5 with a home run and four runs scored. Graham drove in three runs, Butler had two RBI and Caviness added two RBI, including the sacrifice fly that tied the game in the eighth.

"I thought we competed really well offensively in Game 2," Lott said. "We found a way to close the gap a few times and came up just short. We just did not pitch well enough from start to finish."