TYLER, TX (04.30.16) - After 23 hours of rain delays, the UT Dallas softball team finally completed an 8-6 elimination game victory over LeTourneau early Saturday afternoon at the American Southwest Conference Championship Tournament. 

The Comets built an early 8-1 lead in the game early Friday morning, but gave up five runs in the 6th inning - including a grand slam home run - that cut the lead down to 8-6 when the skies opened up in East Texas. After a couple of attempts to resume play Friday, the game was postponed until Saturday morning. UTD (24-19) will next face the winner of an elimination game between Louisiana College and Mary Hardin-Baylor in another elimination game now scheduled for 8:30 pm Saturday night. Another win there would advance the No. 3-seeded Comets to the tournament semifinals for the first time since 2005.

UTD starter Lauren McLeod made every pitch for the Comets over the 23-hour duration, picking up her 17th win of the season and her 22nd complete game. The win tied a school record for wins in a season and set a new mark for complete games and innings pitched.

While McLeod was giving up just four hits through the first five innings of the game, the Comet hitters were pounding a trio of YellowJacket pitchers. UTD chased LETU starter Kayla Cosby just four batters into the game. Melissa Livermore led off with another infield hit, stole second, then scored on an RBI triple by Ravin Wilson. After an Ally Hudec walk, Brittany Perkins singled to left to score Wilson and take a 2-0 lead. Reliever Samantha Thomas loaded the bases by walking Sara Navarro, then Perkins scored a third run on a Kendall Moore sacrifice fly.

Taylor Ervins started the 2nd with a double down the left field line, then scored on a Livermore bunt that was misplayed by the LETU first baseman. She stole second, then advance to third on a wild pitch and came home on Wilson's second RBI of the game, a sacrifice fly to centerfield.\

McLeod gave up a solo home run in the bottom of the 2nd to cut the lead down to 5-1, but got into a bit of a jam in the 3rd before Livermore ended the inning with a diving catch in left field.

UTD followed that up with another run in the 4th. Ervin got a bunt single, stole second, then scored on Wilson's third RBI of the game, a single up the middle. The Comets added two more in an extended 5th inning that featured a 2:20 rain delay. Perkins and Stephanie Polderman started the rally with back-to-back singles and Moore brought Perkins home with a double before the delay. When play resumed, a Sarah Morales walk loaded the bases and Ervin was hit by a pitch to bring home the eighth run. The Comets had a chance to blow the game open at that point, but LETU got two strikeouts to end the threat with the bases loaded.

Three singles and a hit batter brought home one run for the Yellow Jackets to cut the lead to 8-2, but the bases filled after an unsuccessful fielder's choice and Macey Mize sent a pitch over the centerfield wall just before the rains came.

When play resumed, McLeod was able to set down five straight LETU hitters to preserve the win.

Wilson ended the game 2-for-3 with three RBI while Ervin and Perkins each had a pair of hits.