AUSTIN, TEXAS (05.08.16) - The Cinderella run of the 8th-seeded UT Dallas baseball team at the 2016 American Southwest Conference Blue Bracket tournament came to an end in the final game Sunday afternoon as the Comets seemingly ran out of steam in a 7-2 loss to the Patriots.

After blistering the ball offensively for three games in the middle of the tournament - including a 9-7 win over the same Patriots earlier Sunday to force the final game - UTD could not find a way to put together a big inning in the finale and saw its season end at 23-20. UT Tyler (28-16) will advance to play in the best-of-three ASC Championship Series next weekend against Hardin-Simmons in Abilene.

"We accomplished a lot more than a lot of people expected, coming in as the number 8 seed," UTD head coach Shane Shewmake said after the tournament. "After losing the opener Friday (to Concordia), we played three tremendous games just to get where we ended up - playing for a chance at a conference title. I just wish we could have finished the deal."

UTD placed four players on the All-Tournament Team - first baseman Nick Marti, left fielder Haden Johnson, starting pitcher Brandon Lee and reliever Zach Bomer.

GAME 1: UT DALLAS 9, UT TYLER 7
The Comets kept its ASC championship hopes alive in Sunday's first game by holding off Texas-Tyler, 9-7. Nick Marti sparked the Comets in the win by going 3-for-5 with three runs batted in, including a two-run homer in the 5th after UTD found itself in an early four-run deficit.

The Patriots opened the scoring in the top of the 1st with a single run, but UTD answered in the bottom of the frame when Marti came home on a wild pitch. But, UTT added two runs each in the 4th and 5th to secure a 5-1 advantage.

Jimmy Norris would lead off the Comets' half of the 5th with a walk and quickly stole second base. Norris then scored on an error by the Patriots on a sacrifice bunt attempt by Tim Cole. Two batters later, Marti cut the UTT lead to one run, 5-4, with a two-run shot down the left field line.

Norris, the ASC's career stolen base leader, would knot the game all by himself in the bottom of the 6th. After a lead-off walk by Josh Covey, Norris reached on a fielder's choice as Covey had to hold up on a short bloop to right field. Norris then stolen second and third base before scoring on an error by the UTT catcher. The Comets took their first lead of the game on an RBI single by Marti, scoring Cole, and finished the 6th with a 7-5 lead after a run-scoring single by Ryan Burciaga.

UTD added an insurance run in each the 7th and 9th to secure a 9-5 advantage. Cole use a one-out, seeing-eye single in the 7th and Covey added a final run on a sacrifice fly in the 8th. The Patriots scored a pair of runs in the top of the 9th, but were not able to get the tying run on base.

Jonathan May started the game and gave up five runs on seven hits before giving way to Cole Hanson with two outs in the 5th. Hanson (2-1) finished the game and earned the win after 4.1 innings of relief, saving the UTD bullpen for Sunday's second gamGAME 2:

GAME 2: UT TYLER 7, UT DALLAS 2
The Patriots tapped seldom-used reliever Max Page to start the game, and he kept the Comets off-balance in an eight-inning appearance. UTD's offensive arsenal did manage nine hits against him, but the freshman lefty continually flustered Comet hitters, limiting UTD to just one earned run in eight innings.
 
Meanwhile, the UTD pitching staff just could not match as the Patriots pounded out 12 hits against four Comet hurlers, including three who pitched on short rest for the second time in the tournament. All seven UT Tyler runs scored with two outs. The Comets, meanwhile, stranded eight runners.
 
Haden Johnson got the Comets on the board first in the 2nd inning, golfing a 1-1 pitch over the left field wall for a 1-0 lead. But the Patriots answered loudly in the 3rd. After giving up just an infield hit through the first eight batters in the game, Bach was touched for five two-out hits and a hit batter to plate four runs and chase the starter.
 
The Patriots made it 5-1 in the 4th with another two-out rally. A single and RBI triple accounted for the run.
 
UTD had prime chances to chip back at the lead in both the 3rd and 4th innings. With two outs in the 3rd, a Cole single, George double and Marti walk loaded the bases before a strikeout ended the frame. In the 4th, McKenzie doubled and Barati sent a scorcher up the middle to put runners on the corners, but again the Comets could not cash in.
 
UT Tyler stretched out the lead to 6-1 in the 6th with a walk, stolen base and eventually scored on a wild pitch. The Patriots made it 7-1 in their half of the 8th inning.
 
A dropped Johnson fly ball that would have ended UTD's 8th inning allowed the Comets to score Nick Marti and make it 7-2 going into the final frame, but that was it for UTD, who went down in order in the final inning agaist closer Reese Read.