RICHARDSON, TX (02.11.22) - The UT Dallas softball team is off to its best start in five seasons after kicking off a three-game ASC weekend home series against LeTourneau with a doubleheader sweep of the YellowJackets Friday night, winning by scores of 5-2 and 4-3. The two teams will wrap up the set with a 12 p.m. single game Saturday.

The Comets are now 4-0 for the first time since 2017 and are just a single victory shy of the best start in program history. The 2017 squad that went on to win the team's only ASC title opened that season with five consecutive wins.

GAME 1 - UTD 5, LETU 2
The Comets scored four unanswered runs late in the game to earn a 5-2 win over LETU to open Friday's doubleheader.

Celeste Soliz opened the scoring in the bottom of the 2nd with a sacrifice fly to center, scoring Cole Johnson, before the visiting YellowJackets answered with single tallies in the 3rd and 4th to take a 2-1 lead. Soliz then blasted her first home run as a Comet in the bottom of the 4th, a two-run shot, to give UTD back the lead. Megan Todd added a two-run homer of her own in the 5th, her team-leading third of the spring.

Freshman left-hander Emilie Hoelscher (1-0) picked up her first collegiate victory with a complete-game six-hitter. Hoelscher gave up just one earned run while striking out seven LETU hitters in the win. Johnson finished 3-for-3 with two runs scored while Soliz was 1-for-2 with three RBI.

GAME 2 - UTD 4, LETU 3
The Comets again came from behind, scoring twice in the bottom of the 6th to rally for a 4-3 win over LETU and complete Friday's sweep.

Down 3-2 heading to the 6th, Soliz used a one-out double down the left-field line to plate teammate Alyssa Ledesman from first base to knot the game. Soliz later scored the game-winning run on an LETU throwing error after a Jordan Evans bunt single.

The YellowJackets opened the scoring with two runs in the top of the 1st and extended their lead to 3-0 in the 2nd. UTD got on the board in the bottom of the 2nd thanks to a two-out, bases-loaded YellowJacket error that allowed Johnson to come home. The Comets drew within one run in the 5th with an Avery Markley single to left, scoring Alexia Mullen.

Devyn Yanello (2-0) got off to a shaky start but found a groove as the game progressed to pick up her second win in the opening week of the season. Yanello scattered six hits and gave up three earned runs in the complete-game victory. After giving up all three runs over the first two innings, Yanello did not allow a YellowJacket to get past second base the rest of the contest.

Markley was 2-for-4 with an RBI while Soliz, Evans and Riley Westmoreland were all 1-for-2.