FARMERS BRANCH, TX (03.05.11) - The UT Dallas softball team closed the door on the American Southwest Conferenct First Pitch Tournament Saturday afternoon with a 6-3 win over Texas Lutheran at Oran Good Park.
UTD finished the event with a 3-1 mark, earning wins over Schreiner (4-3) and Sul Ross State (9-1) Friday, and losing 8-7 to Concordia-Texas Saturday morning. First Pitch Tournament games do not count in the conference standings.
The Comets (now 6-4) return to action Monday afternoon when they host Mary Hardin-Baylor in a doubleheader at the UTD Softball Fields. First pitch for the twinbill is set for 4 p.m.
SATURDAY – UTD 6, Texas Lutheran 3 (BOX SCORE)
UTD closed out the ASC First Pitch Tournament with a 6-3 win over Texas Lutheran Saturday to wrap up the event with a 3-1 record.
The Comets took an early 2-0 lead in the top of the second inning when sophomore Rachel Riley laced a two-out double off the top of the outfield fence, scoring senior Courtney Kuebler and sophomore Anna Knutson. Kuebler added another run for UTD in the third with a sacrifice fly, scoring sophomore Brittanie Knowles.
TLU plated a pair of runs in the bottom of the fourth on a sacrifice bunt by Kayla McMillan followed by a sacrifice fly by Tara Eulenfeld to trim the Comets' lead to 3-2. But, junior Caysie Norum got both runs back with one swing of the bat or UTD in the top of the fifth with her fifth home run of the season, a two-run blast to left field, scoring Knowles. The Comets tacked on an insurance run in the top of the seventh when senior Makesa Richey tripled in Norum.
Freshman Alyssa Fincher (3-2) picked up the win in the circle, giving up two earned runs on six hits in a complete game. Fincher fanned four Bulldogs while issuing three walks. Knowles led the Comets going 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Norum was 1-for-1 with three walks.
SATURDAY - CONCORDIA 8, UTD 7 (BOX SCORE)
It was a cold start to the day for all the teams involved, but especially the Comets as they fell, 8-7, to Concordia-Texas in their first of two games scheduled for Saturday.
UT Dallas (now 5-4) did open the scoring with an RBI single by junior
Caysie Norum, scoring sophomore
Brittanie Knowles, but the Tornados answered by sending all nine batters to the plate in the bottom of the frame to take a 4-1 lead.
In the top of the third inning, UTD's bats started to warm up. Norum drew the Comets back within one run, 4-3, with her fourth home run of the season, a towering two-run shot to deep centerfield that scored Knowles again. Then in the fourth and the fifth, UTD used three straight singles to open each frame and load the bases but could not tally the game-tying run after two groundouts and a fly ball to end both innings.
The Tornados then loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the fifth and got a bases-clearing double by Meghan Ferrell. Ferrell later came home on a single by Jordan Berry complete CTX's second four-run inning of the game and propel the Tornados to an 8-3 advantage.
The Comets would plate four runs in the top of the fourth, but it would not be enough as UTD left the game-tying run at third base. Senior
Makesa Richey started the scoring with a one-out, solo home run to left field to trim the deficit to four runs. UTD then loaded the bases and got an RBI single from Knowles, a bases-loaded walk from Norum and an run-scoring single from senior
Courtney Kuebler before recording the final out and leaving the bases loaded for the third time in the game.
Freshman right-hander
Heather Foust (3-2) got off to a shaky start but settled down to complete the game. Foust gave up eight earned runs on nine hits with a strikeout and four walks, three of which came in the first inning. Norum ended the game 3-for-3 with two walks and four RBI while four other Comets had multi-hit games. UTD outhit the Tornados, 16-9, but left 13 runners on base.
Junior
Caysie Norum made an improved Schreiner team and pitcher Rebecca Hay pay as the Mountaineer defense and Hay herself committed a couple of errors and gave up two three hits in the inning, saving the day for Comet starter
Heather Foust.
After catcher
Kayla Moore reached for the third time in the game to open the frame, an overthrow to first set the stage, then a dropped fly ball in right field allowed Moore to score the tying run. Norum then drove what would have been a double to left center to bring home
Stephanie Harris with the game-winner.
Schreiner took an early 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning on the first of three solo home runs, but the Comets answered in the third when Norum doubled in Moore to knot the game. UTD grabbed a 2-1 lead in the fourth as Moore doubled in senior
Courtney Kuebler.
The Mountaineers would then plate a pair of runs in the top of the seventh, including its third home run of the game, to take back the lead, 3-2.
Freshman
Heather Foust (3-1) picked up the win, giving up three earned runs on seven hits in a complete-game performance. Foust struck out 13 SU hitters without issuing a walk. Norum ended the game 2-for-4 with two RBI.
FRIDAY - UTD 9, SUL ROSS STATE 1 (BOX SCORE)
The Comets erupted for seven runs in the third inning on their way to a 9-1 run-rule win over winless Sul Ross State.
The Lady Lobos were their worst enemy during the inning, giving up four hits and committing an error, two wild pitches and an interference call on a rundown play between third and home. After Kuebler singled and Norum walked, the flood gates opened when
Alyssa Fincher and
Shelby Stephens delivered a pair of 2-RBI doubles.
Knowles and Fincher teamed up for the Comets' first run in the opening inning. Knowles reached on one of four SRSU errors during the game and later scored on a Fincher sacrifice fly. Stephens added a solo home run in the 4th to ice the win as UTD had an eight-run lead in the 5th inning.
Fincher gave up just two hits in four innings of work and struck out two.
Oran Good Park is located at 13300 Dennis Lane in Farmers Branch. Admission prices are $5 for adults,$3 for senior citizens and students (age 6 through high school) and for students from ASC schools (must have valid 2010-11 ID). Children under age 5 will not be charged.
