FORT WORTH, TX (03.23.21) - UT Dallas first baseman
Hunter Cheek was one of three Comets to hit home runs, and then made the defensive play of the game to end an 11th-inning threat as the UTD held on for an 11-10 extra-inning midweek victory over Texas Wesleyan University at Sycamore Park.
Cheek, who was 2-for-5 with a pair of RBI, contributed a sacrifice fly to a 5-run 6th inning that gave the Comets (8-5) their first lead. After UTD fell behind again in the bottom of the frame, Cheek blasted a solo home run in the 7th that tied the score at 7-7. Teammates
A.J. Liu and
Peter Dyar also went deep for UTD in a contest that went back and forth several times in the final innings.
In their half of the 11th, the Comets broke a 9-9 tie with a 2-RBI single from
Ramon Garza, but were faced with the tying run in scoring position with two outs in the bottom of the inning. A blazing line shot down the first-base line was speared by Cheek, who bobbled the ball up into the air, then finished the catch for the game's final out. The win broke a two-game skid for the Comets, who had just one victory in their last five games.
Dyar was a perfect 3-for-3 for UTD with 4 RBI. Liu, Garza and Cheek all finished with multiple hits for the Comets.
Brett Bihm was the winning pitcher, evening his record at 1-1 while
Ben Soule picked up his second save of the season.
The Comets return to American Southwest Conference play with a three-game home series against Mary Hardin-Baylor this weekend. UTD and TWU (11-11) meet up again on April 6th in Richardson.
UTD, which was victimized by three errors as well as leaving 15 runners on base throughout the extra-inning affair, gave up a pair of unearned runs in the 1st, then trailed 5-1 after a three-run 3rd inning by the Rams. But the Comets bounced back in the 6th, taking a 6-5 lead with five runs scoring on Cheek's sacrifice fly, a passed ball and a three-run homer from Dyar.
TWU retook the lead (7-6) with a two-out rally that was kept alive by an error. Cheek answered with his solo HR to knot the score at 7-7 in the 7th only to see TWU retake the lead (8-7) with a two-hit inning. In the 8th, UTD took what could have been the game-winning lead (9-8) when
Jacob Perry reached on an error, advanced to second on a failed pickoff and scored ahead of Liu's two-run shot over the left field wall.
The error bug struck again in the bottom of the 9th when a ill-advised throw on a sacrifice bunt sailed into the outfield and set the stage for the Rams to tie the game on a sacrifice fly. In the 11th, the Comets returned the favor. A hit batter and a misplayed sacrifice bunt by TWU put runners on and they moved to 2nd and 3rd after a balk was called.
Ramon Garza then delivered the decisive 2-RBI single to score
Nolan Chasak and Dyar, giving the Comets an 11-9 lead.
TWU got one run back in the bottom of the 11th before Cheek ended it with his dramatic catch on the line drive.
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