RICHARDSON, TX (03.18.17) - The UT Dallas softball team split a Saturday doubleheader with No. 5 East Texas Baptist to earn a series over the defending American Southwest Conference champions.

The Comets (20-5, 12-3 ASC) opened the three-game set Friday with an 8-5 walk-off win before dropping Saturday's first game to the Tigers, 4-2. UTD closed out the weekend with a 3-2, 9-inning victory over the Tigers to win its fifth straight series to open conference play.

UTD will look for a sixth-straight series win next weekend when they visit No. 2 ranked and reigning NCAA Division III National Champion Texas-Tyler. The two teams will play 6 p.m. single game Friday before a 1 p.m. doubleheader Saturday in Tyler.

GAME 1 - ETBU 4, UTD 2
The visiting Tigers broke open 2-2 game in the 6th with a pair of runs on just one hit as No. 5 ETBU claimed Saturday's first game with a 4-2 decision.

ETBU plated in unearned run in the top of the 1st and added second tally in the 4th to grab a 2-0 advantage. However, UTD's Jessica Vlasek belted her team-leading fifth home run of the year in the bottom of the 4th, a two-run shot, that would knot the game, 2-2. The Tigers took advantage of two walks and a hit batter to plate the final two runs to even the series, 1-1.

Sara Davison (2-2) was handed the loss, giving up just four hits in a complete-game performance. Vlasek ended the game 2-for-3 with two RBI.

GAME 2 - UTD 3, ETBU 2 (9 inn.)
The Comets collected their second walk-off win of the weekend as Ravin Wilson bounced a double off the wall to bring home the game-winning run in a 4-3 victory by UTD over the Tigers in the series finale.

With the game tied, 1-1, after seven innings, both teams would score in the 8th frame. After a scoreless 9th by the Tigers, UTD would get back-to-back one-out infield singles from Kendall Moore and Heather Gilbert to set up Wilson's heroics. On a 2-1 pitch, Wilson blazed a ball over the head of the ETBU right fielder, allowing Moore to come home for the winning tally.

The Tigers struck first in the 4th with an RBI single by Kaitlyn Hollingshead, but UTD answered in the bottom of the frame with a Gilbert bloop double to left, scoring Stefanie Plderman from second base. In the 7th, ETBU took back the lead with an pinch-hit infield single by Shelby Irlbeck, but the Comets forced a second extra inning with a sacrifice fly by Brittany Perkins, scoring Melissa Livermore, in the bottom of the frame.

Lauren McLeod (12-1) picked up her NCAA D-III leading 12th win of the season as she went the distance in the series finale. McLeod struck out seven Tigers, giving up two earned runs, in the victory. Gilbert was the only UTD batter to record a multi-hit game, going 2-for-4.