Southwest Mississippi defeats Baton Rouge to start day two of Mardi Gras Invitational

Friday, January 30, 2026: Softball 

Baton Rouge, LA  

The Baton Rouge Lady Bears faced off against the Southwest Mississippi Lady Bears to start the second day of the Mardi Gras Invitational at the Youngsville Sports Complex. Southwest broke the game open in the sixth inning with a five-run outburst, leading to an 8-2 victory. 

Southwest took advantage of some inconsistent pitching by Baton Rouge to score in the first inning. They drew a walk, stole second, advanced to third on a wild pitch, and then scored on a sacrifice fly. Baton Rouge tied the game and then took the lead in the third inning. Miley Percle led off the inning with a single to left field, stole second, and moved to third on a ground out by Lindsey Hudson. Percle scored on a single to left field by Kyla Ashford, making the game 1-1. Addysen Thornton then drew a walk, and Raievah Craddock hit a single up the middle, allowing Ashford to score from second and giving Baton Rouge a 2-1 lead.  

However, Southwest retook the lead in the bottom of the third inning by scoring two runs to make it 3-2. For the next two innings, neither team scored. Then, Southwest erupted for five runs in the bottom of the sixth inning, taking a commanding 8-2 lead. In the seventh inning, Baton Rouge started with a single by Miley Percle and a double by Addysen Thornton, but both runners were left stranded, ending any chance at a comeback. 

Abbey Borrel started in the circle for Baton Rouge and was charged with the loss. She pitched 5.2 innings, allowing 8 runs (7 earned) on 6 hits, while walking 6 batters and striking out 5. Madlyn Noen pitched 0.1 innings in relief. C. Talbot started for Southwest and earned the victory, pitching 5 innings and allowing 2 runs on 3 hits, while walking 4 batters and striking out 2. A. Ladnier pitched 2 innings in relief for Southwest. 

With this loss, Baton Rouge fell to 0-3, while Southwest improved to 1-1 on the season. Southwest now leads the series against Baton Rouge with 19 wins to 18 losses. 

Lady Bears Highlights:  

• Miley Percle: 2 for 4 with 1 run  

• Kyla Ashford: 1 for 4 with 1 run and 1 RBI  

• Addysen Thornton: 1 for 3 with 1 BB  

• Raievah Craddock: 1 for 4 with 1 RBI  

• Jardyn Wheeler: 2 BB 

Next Up: 

The Lady Bears will conclude the Mardi Gras Invitational at 2 PM against the Mississippi Gulf Coast Lady Bulldogs on Supreme Rice Field.  

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