RICHARDSON, TX (02.17.12) - The UT Dallas softball team celebrated its home opener Friday with a pair of wins over Centenary. The Comets took the opener 9-1 in six innings before completing the sweep with a 6-2 win over the Ladies.
The Comets improved to 3-1 on the young season while Centenary fell to 0-2 after the pair of losses.
GAME 1 - UTD 9, CC 1 (6 inn.) BOX SCORE
UT Dallas used a three-run home run by
Rachel Riley with two outs in the bottom of the sixth inning to complete the 9-1 run-rule victory in the opener.
Brittanie Knowles continued to swing a hot bat, going 3-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored.
After trailing 1-0 going into the bottom of the fourth, the Comets knotted the game in that frame and then added five runs in fifth and Riley's home run in the sixth to complete scoring. In the fourth, Knowles tied the game with an RBI single to centerfield, scoring
Kayla Moore. The Comets then used six hits in the fifth inning to pull away.
Avery McHugh opened the scoring in the inning with a double to right-centerfield, scoring
Morgan Anderson from first base, giving UTD its first lead of the day, 2-1. Two batters later,
Hannah Creech used a double of her own to plate pinch runner
Jordan Bratcher to lift the Comet to a 3-1 advantage. Moore added an RBI single, scoring Creech, and later stole home before
Jonelle Feikis ended the scoring in the frame with and RBI single, scoring Knowles. Riley's long ball came with a 1-0 count with
Haley Starkey and
Samantha Whittington on base.
Micah Starkey (1-0) picked up the win, tossing the final two innings in relief of starter
Alyssa Fincher. Fincher threw 4.0 innings with five strikeouts and three walks. Starkey finished with one strikeout and no walks in 2.0 inning in the circle. Riley finished the game 1-for-3 with three RBI while Moore was 1-for-1 with a pair of runs scored.
GAME 2 - UTD 6, CC 2 BOX SCORE
The Comets again used a big inning to take control of the contest, plating three runs in the third frame to break open a 1-1 game. UTD added single runs in both the fourth and fifth to maintain a lead and complete the sweep.
Heather Foust (2-0) picked up her second win in as many starts, striking out eight Ladies and giving up just one earned run in 6.0 innings of work. McHugh (3-for-3) and Moore (2-for-3) would spark the offense in the night cap.
Centenary opened the scoring in the top of the second with a single run, but the Comets quickly answered in the bottom of the frame with a sacrifice fly by
Haley Starkey, scoring McHugh. In the third, Knowles gave UTD the lead, 2-1, with a single up the middle, scoring Creech, and then McHugh used a two-out single to plate both Moore and Knowles. Anderson scored in the fourth inning on a Centenary error to give UTD a 5-1 advantage. The Ladies scored one run in the top of the fifth, but again the Comets answered as they took advantage of another Centenary error.
The Comets return to action Thursday afternoon as they host No. 2-ranked Texas-Tyler to open American Southwest Conference East Division play. First pitch for the twin bill is set for 4 p.m. at the UTD Softball Field.
