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Box Score 2 RICHARDSON, TX (03.28.13) - The UT Dallas softball team even its American Southwest Conference East Division record Thursday afternoon with a pair of home wins over Ozarks. UTD took the opener, 2-1, before a 13-5, five-inning win in the night cap.
The Comets (now 13-8-1, 4-4 ASC East) will host Ozarks in a 12 p.m. doubleheader Friday to close out the four-game series. The Lady Eagles fell to 10-16 overall (3-11 ASC East) after the two losses.
Game 1 - UTD 2, Ozarks 1
Senior right-hander
Jeni Olbeter (7-5) gave up just two hits and struck out a career-high 11 batters as she pitched the Comets to a 2-1 win over Ozarks to open the four-game series.
Olbeter retired the first 12 batters she faced before giving up a lead-off double in the top of the 5th inning to UO's Heather Roberts. Olbeter then retired the next seven Lady Eagles in order before giving up a one-out single in the top of the 7th. She allowed just one unearned run on two hits with no walks.
UTD opened the scoring in the bottom of the 1st when
Avery McHugh used a two-out double to left field to plate
Rachel Riley from second base and give the Comets a 1-0 advantage. The Lady Eagles answered in the 5th after Roberts' double, a sac bunt and a UTD throwing error on a failed pick-off attempt. With the game tied, 1-1, the Comets scored the game winning run with a sac fly by
Hannah Creech, plating McHugh. McHugh had opened the bottom of the 6th with a single to right.
The Comets finished with eight hits of Ozarks' ace Amber Rollins (7-5) with
Stephanie Harris leading the pack with a 3-for-3 performance. McHugh and lead-off hitter
Jordan Bratcher each went 2-for-3.
Game 2 - UTD 13, Ozarks 5 (5 inn.)
The Lady Eagles committed six errors, five of which in the 2nd inning, as UTD completed Thursday's sweep with a 13-5, five-inning victory.
The Comets struck early again, scoring three runs in the bottom of the 1st, before a five-run 2nd frame on the five UO defensive miscues. After giving back three runs in the top of the 3rd to the Lady Eagles, UTD regained an eight-run lead in the bottom of the frame with three more runs. Leading 11-5 in the bottom of the 5th, the Comets scored a pair of runs, including a walk-off sac fly by Riley to end the game.
In the 1st, UTD used three consecutive singles by Harris, Riley and McHugh to plate the first run of the game. Creech later increased the Comet lead to 3-0 with a two-out single through the right side of the Lady Eagle infield, scoring McHugh and Knowles. In the 2nd, the Comets scored five runs on just three hits as UO struggled defensively.
Jonelle Feikis started the scoring in the frame with a single to left, scoring
Morgan Anderson, lifting UTD to a 4-0 lead. Two batters later Harris plated Bratcher with a single up the middle. After the second Lady Eagle error in the frame, McHugh gave UTD a 6-0 lead with a sac fly to right, scoring Harris. Riley then scored on a wild pitch by UO starter Haley McKee (0-1) before the Lady Eagles committed errors on three straight batted balls, the final off the bat of
Aly Hudec, allowing Knowles to score the fifth run of the frame.
After giving up three runs in the top of the 3rd, UTD answered with a bases-clearing double to the wall by Knowles, scoring Bratcher,
Robin Thomas and
Taylor Ervin. The Lady Eagles drew back within six with single runs in in the 4th and 5th before UTD ended the game with a two-run bottom of the 5th. Bratcher led off the Comets' half of the inning with a single up the middle and then stole second. After a wild pitch, Thomas plated Bratcher with her first triple of her career. Thomas then came home to end the game on the Riley fly out to right.
Megan Aragones (2-2) picked up the win, giving up five runs (three earned) on nine hits in 5.0 innings of work. Aragones struck out seven and did not issue a walk to the Lady Eagles. Harris and Thomas each went 2-for-2 with two runs while Bratcher was 2-for-4 with three runs scored.
