RICHARDSON, TX (02.29.20) - The UT Dallas softball team held on for a 5-4 in in the series finale Saturday afternoon to avoid a three-game weekend sweep to McMurry in American Southwest Conference.
The Comets (now 4-10, 2-4 ASC) suffered a tough 14-6 loss to McMurry Friday afternoon to open the set and then saw the War Hawks rally for a 7-5 win in Saturday's opener. Freshman right-hander
Hope Quinones then posted the strongest UTD pitching performance of the young season, striking out 11, in a complete-game victory in the finale.
UTD will return to the road next weekend for a three-game ASC series at Howard Payne. The two squads will play a 1 p.m. doubleheader Friday before wrapping up the set with a 12 p.m. single game Saturday in Brownwood.
GAME 1 - McMurry 7, UTD 5
The big inning hurt the Comets for the second straight game as McMurry plated six runs in the top of the 6th en route to a 7-5 come-from-behind win in Saturday's opener.
The Comets got three runs in the 3rd and added 2 more in the 5th before giving up the six-run 6th, which included a grand slam by Savannah Flinn. The War Hawks added an insurance run in the top of the 7th.
UTD got back-to-back run-scoring doubles by
Elizabeth Brann and
Megan Todd in the 3rd inning to grab the early lead. Brann's shot to left center field plated Matee Smion and
Ashley Ambrosy, while Todd's two-bagger brought home Brann. The Comets added to their lead with a two-run single by
Emily Schroeder with two outs in the bottom of the 5th.
Brann was 3-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBI, collecting two doubles. Ambrosy finished 2-for-4.
GAME 2 - UTD 5, McMurry 4
Quinones went the distance for her first collegiate victory as she tossed 138 pitches in a 5-4 win by the Comets in the series finale.
Todd got the scoring started with a grand slam in the bottom of the 1st to lift UTD to a 4-0 lead. McMurry answered with two runs in the top of the 2nd, to cut the lead in half. Brann gave the Comets an insurance run in the bottom of the 5th with a single up the middle, scoring Ambrosy. The War Hawks tried to mount a third-straight comeback win, getting a two-run homer from Maisa Ryerson in the top of the 7th, but Quinoes closed the door with her 11th strikeout to end the game.
Quinones scattered seven hits while allowing four runs. Todd was 1-for-3 with four RBI while Brann finished 3-for-3. Simon and Ambrosy were both 2-for-4 from the plate.