RICHARDSON, TX (03.15.19) - UT Dallas senior outfielder Melissa Livermore now stands in a class all her own after breaking a 14-year-old NCAA Division III career record for stolen bases during the Comets' American Southwestern Conference series sweep of Howard Payne this week.

After a 13-6 win over Howard Payne Thursday, the Comets (9-8, 7-7 ASC) opened play on Friday with the resumption of game two, a 6-4 UTD victory, and then rallied for a 7-6, eight-inning win over the Lady Jackets in the series finale.

A native of Frisco, Livermore was 6-for-6 on the base paths over the three-game set with the Yellow Jackets, giving the three-time All-American 178 swipes in her four-year career with the Comets. The previous NCAA D-III career mark was 176 steals, set by Suffolk's Erin Pagel (2002-05). Not only is Livermore atop the D-III list, she is now ranked 16th all-time among all NCAA levels nearing the midway point of her senior season. She should finish her storied career as one of the top 10 base stealers in NCAA softball history.

Livermore swiped a pair of bases in Thursday's win over HPU and picked up two more in the 1st inning of the second game of the series Thursday night to tie the career record before the game was halted due to darkness. UTD's only three-time All-American officially set the new mark with two outs in the bottom of the 5th inning of game two once play resumed Friday morning. After an RBI single up the middle, the Comet lead-off hitter stole second base on the very next pitch to take sole possession atop the all-time list. One pitch later, she took third base for her 178th career swipe.

GAME 2 (THURSDAY/FRIDAY) - UTD 6, HPU 4
After an injury delay and an stoppage due to darkness, the Comets' second game of the series with HPU came to a close with a 6-4 for the home team Friday.

Down 2-0 in the bottom of the 1st on Thursday night, the Comets got a lead-off walk from Livermore followed by two quick steals on back-to-back pitches. The second pitch, Livermore's career record-tying swipe, sailed past the catcher and struck the home plate umpire in the right hand, forcing a 45 minute delay until a replacement umpire could be summoned. After the first resumption of play in the game, Livermore would come home on a Hope Griffith ground to cut the HPU lead in half, 2-1.

The two teams then played through the top of the 3rd before a lighting malfunction forced the a second stoppage of play, which resulted in the contest being concluded Friday morning.

The Lady Jackets added two runs in the top of the 5th to extend their lead to 4-1 before the Comets exploded for a five-run bottom of the frame, sparked by Livermore's record-breaking stolen base.

With a runner on second, Livermore's RBI single up the middle trimmed the HPU lead to 4-2. After Livermore's record-break and record-extending steals, she would come home on a Griffith single to right field, to draw the Comets within a run, 4-3. Two batters later, Jessica Vlasek knotted the game with a double down the left field line, scoring Griffith, and Amy Jensen gave UTD its first lead of the game with a two-run double to right center, plating Ravin Wilson and Vlasek.

Livermore was 1-for-3 from the lead-off spot with two runs scored while Wilson was 2-for-2.

GAME 3 (FRIDAY) - UTD 7, HPU 6 (8 INN.)
Down 5-0 after three frames, the Comets forced extra innings with five late runs before getting a two-run single by Amber Williams with no outs in the bottom of the 8th to lift UTD to a 7-6 win over the Lady Jackets and completed the three-game sweep.

UTD got on the board with a Livermore single to left with two outs in the 5th while Griffith added two more runs for the Comets with a double to left to the HPU to two runs, 5-3. Williams picked up her first RBI of the game with one out in the 6th with a single to left, scoring Vlasek, and Nicole Peters knotted the game, 5-5, one batter later with a single to right, scoring Elizabeth Brann.

After a scoreless seven by both squads, the Lady Jackets regained the lead in the top of the 8th on a one-out, bases-loaded walk drawn by Tonya Thompson, but the Comets would get out of the jam with an pop-up double play on an infield fly call. 

Jensen opened the Comets' 8th with a double to left and moved to third after a Brann bunt single. After an HPU wild pitch, putting runners on second and third, Williams ended the game with a single to right.

Vlasek was 3-for-4 with a run scored while Williams was 2-for-4 with three RBI. Livermore matched a UTD single-game record with four stolen bases.