A good team always wins the games they’re supposed to win. The Lady Blues did that Saturday when they took care of Southwest Baptist, the last-place team in the MIAA.

The Lady Blues won the both games in the doubleheader in Bolivar, Mo., 9-7 and 9-1.

In the first game, runs and hits came early and often as the Lady Blues got out to an early 5-1 lead in the second inning. The Bearcats clawed their way back though and took a 7-5 lead in the fourth with five runs scored. The Washburn women were able to tack on two in the fifth and sixth to even the score at 7-7 in the sixth inning.

From there, it became evident that the first to score was probably going to win, and the Lady Blues did just that in the top of the ninth with two runs that ended up making the difference.

“We played pretty good but we kind of struggled with our fielding and pitching,” said Megan Kimerer.

Combined there were 16 runs, 21 hits, and six home runs. For Washburn, Tish Williams hit two home runs while Brooke DeVader had one. Nicole Perkuhn picked up her third win in relief.

“We’re definitely coming around,” said Williams. “I mean, our bats are really coming around and our defense is still strong.”

The second game saw better pitching for Washburn while the offense kept hitting. The Lady Blues scored nine runs on 13 hits in the first three innings. They ended up winning in five, 9-1.

Several of the Lady Blues had great offensive showings, but Whitney Tapp’s 3-for-3 performance with three RBI and one run was a standout. DeVader hit another home run, her school-record 36th of her career.

“Our hitting was great all day long,” said Kimerer.

Kayla Long moved to 15-12 with the win. She had three strikeouts, gave up only three hits, and her one run allowed was unearned.

“We played a lot better the second game keeping their runs down,” said Kimerer.

The Lady Blues have won their last 17 against the SBU Bearcats dating back to 2001. They have also won six out of seven dating back to April 5. With the wins on Saturday, they now sit at 27-21 and 9-5 in the conference.

The Lady Blues will next play in the MIAA conference tournament Thursday and Friday at the Mid-America West Sports Complex in Shawnee, Kan.