DECATUR — Another home stand produced another pair of wins for the surging East Central Lady Warriors.

East Central defeated Southwest Mississippi Community College 3-2 in an eight-inning Game 1 and completed its sweep with a 9-1 victory in Game 2.

“I was proud of the eighth inning,” East Central coach Kristin Chaney said of her team’s Game 1 win. “The first through the seventh inning, I was not proud of. The eighth inning, I was proud of, because that’s our team right there when we’re up, bouncing around fired up — the eighth inning is us.”

East Central (22-6) pitcher Kaitlyn Oswalt turned in another stellar performance and was dominant in the circle in Game 1. She allowed just two earned runs, struck out eight and didn’t yield any walks.

“I just walked out of the locker room and I told her she saved us today,” Chaney said of her Game 1 starter. “She threw her tail off, and she’s a dirt dog. She goes after it day in and day out, and she threw her guts out.”

Neshoba Central product Kayla Beckham tallied two hits in four at-bats and scored the game-winning run in Game 1. Eva Scott also went 2-for-4. Beckham’s former Neshoba Central teammate and current East Central third baseman Madalyn McMahon went 1-for-4 with a run and an RBI.

The Lady Warriors and Lady Bears entered extra innings with the score tied at 1, sending Southwest’s Kayla McNabb to the plate in the top of the eighth inning. McNabb lead off the inning with a solo home run to give Southwest a 2-1 lead. Terrah Nelson reached base with a single to left field, but Oswalt made it through the frame without further damage.

McMahon opened the bottom of the eighth with a double to left field, putting the game-tying run on second base. Beckham followed with a single, and Cassie Obman tied the score at two with a sacrifice fly that scored McMahon. 

With two outs, East Central’s Ali Gartman hit a ground ball in what appeared to be a routine groundout. But an errant throw to first base cleared the way for Beckham to head home for the game-winning run. 

Seventeen of East Central’s 21 rostered players are sophomores. That veteran experience, Chaney said, has proven to be the difference maker in the Lady Warriors’ dominant start. 

“Leadership,” Chaney said. “Sometimes I think they get a little too comfortable because I have so many sophomores, but they bring leadership, and I can be mad at them all I want, but they know when to turn it on.”

Mackenzie Johnson went 3-for-3 with a home run, two RBIs and two runs to lead the Lady Warriors in Game 2. Beckham went 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a run, and Scott went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run. 

Pitcher Mackenzie Rousseau struck out three, walked one and yielded four hits in a winning effort.

East Central took a 3-1 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning and poured on six more runs in the bottom of the sixth to secure the win.