RICHARDSON, TX (04.18.15) - The UT Dallas baseball team extended its winning streak to 10 games with a pair of walk-off 4-3 victories over Louisiana College to complete a weekend sweep of the Wildcats in American Southwest Conference play.
The Comets (now 21-13, 17-7 ASC) secured their 14th straight 20-win season after getting a walk-off home run by
Jimmy Norris in Saturday's opener and a two-run, bases-loaded double by
Pierce Fly in the series finale. With the two losses, Louisiana College fell to 11-21 overall and 7-17 in ASC play.
UTD will take a short break from ASC play next weekend with a split series with future conference opponent McMurry. The Comets will travel to Abilene for a single game at 2 p.m. Friday before hosting the WarHawks for a 1 p.m. doubleheader Saturday at the UTD Baseball Field.
GAME 1 - UTD 4, LC 3Norris blasted the first long ball in his two-year career with the Comets with a three-run shot deep over the left field fence with one out in the bottom of the 7th to give UTD a 4-3 come-from-behind win over the Wildcats to open Saturday's doubleheader.
UTD opened the scoring with a run in the 1st as Norris drew a lead-off walk, advanced to second on a sacrifice by
Tim Cole and came home on a single by
Brandon George. The Wildcats countered in the 2nd, however, with a single up the middle by Jermaine Liggins,s coring Dylan Roy from second base. LC added two runs in the 4th using three straight extra-base hits to open the frame. Will Currier used a lead-off triple past a diving
Haden Johnson to open the frame and then scored on double to left by Brandon Estrada. Liggins then picked up his second RBI of the game with a triple to center, scoring Estrada.
Neither team would threaten to add runs until the 7th when
Nolan Smith reached base with a pinch-hit, one-out double to right center. A single to left by Fly gave UTD runners on the corners, setting up Norris' game-winner home run.
Comet starter
Brandon Lee did not factor in the decision after giving up three runs on six hits in 4.0 innings on the mound. Lee struck out four Wildcats and walked three before his early exit.
Zach Rubel (2-0) collected his second win of the season with 3.0 innings of scoreless relief, scattering three hits with two strikeouts. George finished the game 2-for-3 with an RBI as the only Comet with a multi-hit game. Norris was 1-for-3 with three RBI and two runs scored.
GAME 2 - UTD 4, LC 3Fly laced a one-out, bases-loaded double down the left field line in the bottom of the 7th for his second his second big hit of the weekend as the Comets rallied for another 4-3 win over LC in the series finale.
Norris again scored the opening run of the game as he hit his second triple of the season to lead-off the 1st for UTD and later scored on a two-out balk by Wildcat starter Trey Ducote. LC answered in the 2nd, again, this time with a Liggins homer, to knot the game, 1-1. Following the same script as Saturday's opener, the Wildcats again added two more runs in the 4th. Liggins gave LC the lead with a double to left, scoring Estrada, and later scored on a Cary Myers singles as the Wildcats snagged a 3-1 advantage. Neither team would send more than four batters to the plate until the bottom of the 9th.
Brandon Clounch started the 9th for the Comets with a single through the left side of the LC infield. Two batters later, Smith would the draw the first of three straight walks to score the first run of the frame. After Smith,
David McKenzie drew a walk to load the bases and
Ryan Downs' free pass would cut the Wildcat lead to 3-2. The hero from Friday's win with a two-run homer, Fly then stepped up for his game-winning double, scoring pinch runner
Rodney Corbin and McKenzie.
Aaron Bach threw 8.0 strong innings, but did not factor in the decision. Bach scattered nine hits, giving up three earned runs with four strikeouts.
Michael Ward (2-0) tossed a scoreless 9th with two strikeouts to earn the victory. Clounch was 2-for-3 while Fly finished the game 2-for-4 with two RBI.
