RICHARDSON, TX (03.06.12) - The UT Dallas softball team extended its winning streak to six straight games Tuesday night with a home doubleheader sweep of Austin College in non-conference play.
The Comets (now 10-4) are already past the halfway mark of last year's win total (18) not a month into the season after completing their season series with AC, 3-1. UTD's six-game win streak is the longest since early in the 2010 season.
UTD returns to American Southwest Conference East Division play with a four-game series at Mississippi College this weekend. The two teams will play a 4 p.m. doubleheader Friday and a 12 p.m. twin bill Saturday in Clinton, Miss.
Game 1 - UTD 9, Austin College 1 (6 inn.) - BOX SCORE
The Comets had a perfect storm on their side in the twin bill opener with 13 hits, five AC errors and a dominant pitching performance from right-hander
Heather Foust.
Foust retired the first 12 batters she faced before giving up a lead-off home run to 'Roo Suzanne Beltran in the 5th inning. That would be the only hit she allowed as she fanned eight AC hitters in 5.0 innings of work.
Megan Aragones pitched the final hitless inning with one strikeout.
UTD got on the scoreboard in the 1st frame with an RBI single by
Avery McHugh, scoring
Kayla Moore, gave the Comets a quick 1-0 lead. After a scoreless 2nd inning, UTD's only scoreless frame of the game, the Comets added two runs in the 3rd on
Rachel Riley's team-leading third home run of the season. In the 4th, UTD tacked on another run when
Brittanie Knowles singled in
Hannah Creech from second base to give UTD a 4-0 cushion.
After giving up the long ball to Beltran, the Comets had their biggest inning of the game, plating three runs on two hits and a pair of AC errors in the bottom of the 5th. McHugh opened the frame with a single and then scored on a sacrifice bunt by pinch-hitter
Jacqueline Rosson and a 'Roo throwing error. One batter later, Riley tripled down the left-field line followed by a
Stephanie Harris walk and stolen base to give UTD runners on second and third. Riley then scored on AC's second error of the inning and Harris scored on a Creech sacrifice fly. The Comets added two finals runs with one out in the 6th on back-to-back bases-loaded walks by Harris and
Morgan Anderson to complete the run-rule victory.
Knowles led the Comet offense by going 4-for-4 with a pair of runs scored and an RBI while Riley was 2-for-3 with two RBI and a two runs scored. Creech, McHugh and Harris also recorded multi-hit games as UTD tied its season high for hits in a game.
Game 2 - UTD 12, Austin College 8 - BOX SCORE
The Comets needed a big inning to rally to complete the sweep and got such an inning in the 5th, scoring seven runs to come-from-behind for a 12-8 win over the 'Roos. UTD sent 10 batters to the plate in the 5th frame to quiet an AC team that found momentum early in the contest.
The 'Roos (now 2-8) opened the scoring in the 1st with a three-run homer by Beltran. The Comets answered with a pair of runs in the bottom of the frame, first as Creech stole home followed by an RBI double by Aragones, scoring McHugh from first base. But, AC added three more runs in the 3rd to grab a 6-2 lead.
Knowles led off the bottom of the 3rd with her first home run of the season, trimming the deficit to three runs, but the 'Roos tacked on two final runs in the 4th to take their biggest lead of the day, 8-3.
After a one-out walk by
Jordan Bratcher in the bottom of the 4th, the Comets quickly got those two runs back as Creech blasted her first home run of her collegiate career down the leftfield line, cutting the AC advantage back to just three runs, 8-5.
McHugh opened the Comets' 5th with a double to left and after an Aragones single, Riley cut the deficit to two runs with a single to right, scoring McHugh from third. Aragones then came home on a double steal to draw UTD within one run, 8-7. Two batters later, pinch-hitter
Jonelle Feikis knotted the game, 8-8, with an RBI single up the middle, scoring Riley from second. The Comets added a three-run double by Harris and an RBI groundout by Knowles to complete the seven-run fifth frame.
Foust (7-1) picked up her second win of the day as she tossed the final 3.0 innings in relief as the Comets rallied for the win. Foust gave up two hits in her short outing with six strikeouts, giving her 14 strikeouts in 8.0 innings in the twin bill.
Micah Starkey started the game for UTD, giving up five earned runs on three in 2.1 innings in the circle.
Jeni Olbeter then tossed 1.2 innings, giving up two runs on six hits. Creech went 2-for-2 with three runs scored and two RBI while Aragones was 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.
She tossed 5.0 innings with eight strikeouts and no walks.
Brittanie Knowles was 4-for-4 to bring her season average back over .500.
