LONGVIEW, TX (05.01.16) - The UT Dallas baseball team edged LeTourneau, 3-2, in nine innings Sunday afternoon in the first game of an American Southwest Conference doubleheader, but dropped a sloppy heartbreaker in the second game, 4-3, to fall from contention for a higher seed in the upcoming ASC Championship Tournament.

The Comets (21-18 overall, 10-14 ASC) scored a pair of runs in the top of the 9th inning in the opener and held off a LETU rally. In the second game, UTD had a 3-1 lead going into the Yellowjackets final at-bat, but gave up three runs, including two unearned, to allow LETU to take a 2-1 series win.

With the series loss, UTD enters next weekend's first round of the ASC Tournament as the No. 8 seed despite owning one more conference win than 7th-seeded Howard Payne. HPU, however, had a series rained out earlier this season and claimed the No. 7 spot with a better conference winning percentage.

The Comets will travel to Austin Friday to compete in the four-team Blue Tournament, which will be hosted by top-seeded Concordia Texas. UTD will face the Tornados in the opening round of the four-team, double-elimination weekend tournament at 7 pm Friday. The other two participants in the Blue Tournament will be No. 4 seed Texas-Tyler and No. 5 seed LeTourneau. They meet in a 3 pm game Friday. The tournament will continue through Sunday.

First, the Comets will wrap up the regular season Tuesday at 3 pm with a non-conference meeting with Texas Wesleyan in Grand Prairie.

The ASC's other bracket, the Red Tournament, will be hosted by No. 2 seed East Texas Baptist, which faces 7th-seeded Howard Payne; and 3rd-seeded Hardin-Simmons, which meets No. 6 seed  Sul Ross State in the opening games. The Blue and Red Tournament winners will meet for the ASC Championship the following weekend in a best-of-three series hosted by the highest remaining seed.

GAME 1: UTD 3, LETU 2 (9 INNINGS)

The Comets jumped out to an early 1-0 lead with a pair of first inning doubles from Brandon George and Nick Marti. After that, UTD cruised behind the arm of starter Aaron Bach, who limited the Yellowjackets to just three hits and a single run over a seven-inning start. He also struck out five with just one walk and had given up just a single base hit going to the 7th.

But LETU came to life in their last at-bat. The Yellowjackets tied the game at 1-1 with a single and RBI double, and had the bases loaded with a chance to walk off with a win before Bach forced a line drive out to Jimmy Norris at shortstop to end the threat.

After an extra frame, the Comets pulled ahead with a pair of 9th-inning runs. Nick Marti singled to center and David McKenzie beat out a bunt. Haden Johnson, who was 2-for-4 along with Marti and George, singled to center to score Marti. Johnson then came home on a single from Josh Covey to make it 4-2.

LETU started their final at-bat with a single and double, getting one run back on a ground ball. The Yellowjackets had runners and second and third when the game ended.

GAME 2: LETU 4, UTD 3 (7 INNINGS)

The Comets seemingly had the series win wrapped up, entering the 7th nning with a 3-1 lead before LETU rallied for three runs in the bottom of the behind a pair of hits and two Comet errors.

Freshman Jordan Murphy had pitched well enough to win through six innings, scattering four hits and allowing just one run behind three strikeouts. Unfortunately, the UTD bullpen was unable to hold the lead. 

UTD built an early 3-0 lead, scoring one in the first inning when Haden Johnson drove home Tim Cole with the first run of the game; and adding two more in the 2nd behind RBI singles from Rodney Corbin and Cole.

But the Comets were their own worst enemy, stranding nine base runners in the seven inninng game. Up 3-1 entering the top of th 7th, UTD got its first two hitters aboard, but were unable to extend the lead, stranding both.

Jimmy Norris, Cole and Marti all had multiple hits in the second game.