RICHARDSON, TX (04.25.21) - The UT Dallas baseball team remained one game out of first place in the American Southwest Conference Sunday afternoon as the Comets completed a home series with a 6-4 victory over LeTourneau.
The Comets (now 21-10, 17-7 ASC) sit in a tie for second in the ASC with East Texas Baptist, both teams one game back of Louisiana College (18-6), with just three games left in the conference slate. UTD returns to action Tuesday with 2 p.m. non-conference home game with Hardin-Simmons before wrapping up the regular season over the weekend with a three-game series at Ozarks.
UTD pounced on the visiting YellowJackets (14-18, 12-12 ASC) with three two-out runs in the bottom of the 1st, but LETU answered with three runs in the top of the 3rd to knot the game. The Comets regained the lead with two runs in the bottom of the 3rd and had to hold off a late rally attempt by LETU to seal the victory. UTD split a doubleheader with the YellowJackets Saturday, dropping the series opener 12-3 before taking a 4-0 victory in game two.
After two quick outs on just three pitches, the Comets strung together four straight hits to take the early 3-0 lead.
Deylan Moreno opened the scoring with a single to left, scoring
A.J. Liu, before
Marcos Villegas plated two with a double that sailed over the LETU right fielder's head.
After the YellowJackets tied the game, 3-3, in the 3rd, Moreno picked up his second and third RBI of the contest with a single to left, scoring
Ramon Garza and Liu. The Comets tacked on a key insurance run in the 8th with a two-out Liu double to left center, scoring Garza from first base.
LETU pushed one run across in the top of the 9th to draw within two runs and had the go-ahead run at the plate before closer
Ben Soule induced a game-ending fly out.
Liu capped a solid series performance by going 3-for-4 in the finale with two runs scored and an RBI. He closed the set 7-for-10 from the plate with a pair of doubles. Garza was 3-for-5 with two runs scored while Moreno and Villegas each finished 2-for-4.
Kenny Garza (4-2) earned the victory as he gave up three runs on five hits in 5.0 innings of work. Garza struck out four without a walk. Soule tossed the final 2.0 innings, striking out two in his second save of the spring.
