If I was at least 99% sure this was mechanical, I would have stayed at the hotel, saved all the meal receipts, and gambled on a near 100% chance that Southwest will eventually reimburse me.
$100 later on voucher and a $15 meal reimbursement (more work than a voucher) is a pittance for an overnight delay due entirely to the carrier operations.
And not everyone is as adept managing irrops as some posters here.
OP - we fly this route occasionally and choose days where the nonstop is available and reasonably priced. If you have future flexibility I would recommend the same