SEGUIN, TX (05.01.10) – The Comets were ushered to an early exit from the American Southwest Conference Tournament on Saturday, falling 7-6 to Texas Lutheran in a Game 2 postlude to Friday's heartbreaking 13-10 loss.

UT Dallas (23-16, 9-8), with its sights set on upsetting the West Division's No. 1 seed, gift-wrapped the Bulldogs' comeback win in the opener before spearheading a last-chance effort in Saturday's contest—a defeat that closed the book on UTD's ninth consecutive winning season.

The Comets allowed TLU (31-11, 15-6) 12 unearned runs in Friday's Game 1, where they led, at one time, by an authoritative score of 10-1. On Saturday, they marched back from a 5-0 deficit, tied the score at 6-6 in 6th, but folded in the final three innings as the Bulldogs, three-time ASC champions (2005-07), retained their rights to host next weekend's four-team, double-elimination title round.

Since 2003, the Comets are 2-5 against TLU in ASC playoff action, and are now 16-15 overall in league tournament appearances.

GAME 1: TLU 13, UTD 10 (Boxscore)

The Bulldogs, scoring 12 answered runs in the final four innings of play, escaped UT Dallas' nine-run death grip to claim a 13-10 win over the Comets at Katt-Isbel Field on Friday afternoon.

TLU (30-11, 15-6) generated a five-run 6th, a six-run 8th, and disintegrated UTD's commanding 10-1 advantage—one that was compiled with such precision, and with an unbridled confidence that vanished in last weekend's fruitless journey to Louisiana College.

The Bulldogs struck first, running out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the opening frame. But UTD (23-15, 9-8) stormed back with six runs of its own in the 6th, using RBI singles from Drew Hallford and Grant Friddell to set the stage for Matt Kelly's towering grand slam. The blast, Kelly's fourth of the season, pushed the Comets' lead to 6-1. And it only continued to mushroom.

Run-scoring hits from Randy Lorber and Joseph Killgore in the 4th closed the curtains on Orosey's start, his shortest of the year. Orosey, who leads all of Division III baseball with 98 strikeouts, allowed eight runs—all of which were earned—and six hits in what was scored as three innings of work.

The Comets tacked on two more runs following Orosey's exit, but that's precisely when the meltdown began. Marvin Prestridge was shelled for five runs in the 6th, and was yanked in favor of reliever Jonathan Reeder.

The senior lefty appeared salvific at first. He stood up UTD' 10-7 lead heading into the 8th inning, where the Bulldogs erupted for six runs, including a triple, two doubles and three singles. Ryan Nokelby looped a go-ahead RBI double to award TLU with an 11-10 lead, while his teammates stacked two more runs on closer Adam Spinn (3-3), who pitched 2/3 of the inning and was saddled with the loss.

Added up, the damage looked like this: 19 Bulldog hits, four scoreless innings down the stretch for UTD, and, most importantly, a deflating loss to put the Comets in a 0-1 hole before tomorrow's Game 2. And it was all inflicted with Orosey, who boasts a conference best 2.21 ERA and a career record of 20-2, in the dugout.

The loss marked the fourth straight for the Comets, who are now 7-11 when allowing their opponents to score first. They are 2-4 all-time against TLU in league playoff action, defeating the Bulldogs last year in a championship round contest.

GAME 2: TLU 7, UTD 6 (Boxscore)

In what began as a runaway, the Comets stood their ground. Adam Hudec's two-run homer—his first of the season—spurred the resistance in the 4th inning, the beginning of UTD's counterattack after trailing 5-0.

Hallford single in his 31st RBI of the year in the 5th, and one inning later, Randy Lorber knotted the score at 6-6 when he sent a searing sac fly into deep right field.

But just when the horizon brightened, TLU's Evan Curtis reciprocated by lifting another sac fly to score Cory Miller, who proved to represent the winning run in the 7th. The Comets had their chances to tie against starter Jeremiah Steinert (8-2). In the final three innings, though, they ran out of gas.

Steinert and TLU closer Tom Hembree combined to retire nine of UTD's 10 batters in the final three innings. Lorber looped a one-out double to right-centerfield in the 9th, but Jason Diemer and Killgore failed to reach base.

UTD starter Cameron Brown lasted just 3 1/3 innings, while Mason Thompson (4-2) was tagged with his second loss of the year. Thompson threw 5 2/3 innings, allowing only two runs.