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AUSTIN, TX (05.09.14) - The UT Dallas baseball team stayed alive in the American Southwest Conference Championship Tournament Friday afternoon, getting a quality start from pitcher Micah Easterling and pushing across the winning run in walkoff fashion in a 2-1 elimination game victory over Howard Payne.

With the win, the Comets (26-16) face a rematch with Sul Ross State in an elimination game scheduled for 7 pm Friday night at Concordia University's Tornado Field with the winner advancing to final tournament games Saturday and Sunday.

The Comets got the game-winning run in the bottom of the 9th inning after Howard Payne (20-23) had tied the game, 1-1, in the top of the inning. Tanner Gandy delivered a sacrifice fly to center field with the bases loaded, scoring pinch runner Tyler Hobbs with the game-winning run. Closer Brandon Clounch, who had his first blown save of the season by giving up the tying run in the top of inning, picked up his first win of the year when the Comets rallied by loading the bases and scoring the gamewinner on Gandy's sacrifice fly.

With UTD holding a 1-0 edge in the 9th, Clounch gave up a leadoff single to HPU's Colton Brown; and Jake Sadler tied the score by delivering a two-out RBI double to right center field for HPU's only run of the game. But the Comets answered in their final at-bat when the HPU defense opened the door for the winning run. Third baseman Ryan Downs, playing in place of injured cleanup hitter Brandon George, started the inning reaching on an error by HPU shortstop Cody Cain. After a walk to Pierce Fly, Ferrell made a mistake on a short nubber from UTD's Jimmy Norris, attempting unsuccessfully to get the out at third. With the bases loaded and no outs, Gandy then delivered a fly ball to center and Hobbs was able to tag and score the winning run.

The Comets got into position to win the close game thanks to a quality start from junior Micah Easterling, who threw 7.1 innings of shutout ball, scattering four hits and striking out eight to preserve an early 1-0 lead.

UTD had scored the game's only run through the first eight innings with an unearned score in the 2nd. Nolan Smith singled to lead off the inning, and worked his way around the paths before scoring on a mishandled ground ball by HPU second baseman Lucas Creed on what would have been the third out.

Fly led the Comets in hitting for the second straight game in the tournament, finishing 2-for-3.