MARSHALL, TX (04.23.22) - After dropping the first two games of an important American Southwest Conference series at East Texas Baptist University, the UT Dallas baseball team took out its frustrations in the series finale Saturday afternoon, pummeling 18 hits and four home runs on its way to a 18-8 seven-inning victory.

The Tigers won the Saturday doubleheader opener, 3-2, in nine innings after taking the Friday opener, 7-5.

With the lone win, the Comets (26-10, 19-8 ASC) still set themselves up in good position to host the ASC's Red Bracket Tournament heading into the regular season final series against Belhaven (24-13, 17-10) at home next weekend. UTD would need just one win in the three-game set to finish ahead of the Blazers and host one of the two double-elimination tournaments May 5-6-7. With the series win over UTD, ETBU (28-11, 24-6 ASC) wrapped up the host position for the Blue Bracket Tournament. The two tournament winners will then face off in a best-of-three series May 12-13-14 for the ASC title.

UTD hosts a non-conference game with Texas Lutheran Tuesday at 3 pm.

DH GAME 1: ETBU 3, UTD 2 (9 innings)

The Tigers scored the winning run in extra frames on a double and errant throw to the infield, claiming the series with the 3-2 win in what was scheduled for a seven-inning opener.

UTD's Carter Cochrane and ETBU's Sayers Collins (10-1) battled throughout, giving up just a combined seven hits while striking out 21 hitters. Collins went the distance picking up 15 of the K's and allowing UTD's vaunted offensive attack to just three hits.

The Tigers took an early 1-0 lead with a 1st inning home run, but UTD's Hunter Cheek countered in the 3rd. The Comets then took a 2-1 lead in the 4th when Andrew Skivington's fielder's choice scored A.J. Liu. But ETBU tied the game up in the 5th with a hit batter, two successful sacrifice bunts and an RBI single. The Tigers then got the winning baserunner in the 9th on a leadoff hit batter, who scored on the ensuing double and throwing error.

DH GAME 2: UTD 18, ETBU 8 (7 innings)

After the pitching dual in Game One, the Comet bats came to life against four ETBU pitchers. It was, in fact, the relief work of Comets Ryan Vera (W, 4-1) and Joshua Good (S, 1) that shut the door on the Tigers while UTD continued to pile on the runs. After the first three innings, Comet hurlers gave up just two hits and did not allow another run.

Meanwhile, the UTD bats scored almost at will, putting "crocked numbers" on the board in five separate frames. A bases-loaded Liu single and a walk gave UTD an early 2-0 lead that ETBU erased with two runs of its own in the bottom of the 1st. Hunter Cheek then led off the UTD 2nd with a home run and Andrew Skivington brought home two more with a double to give the Comets a 5-2 advantage. The Tigers then retook the lead with a four-run 3rd, but the Comets countered in the top of the 4th with five runs, four coming on a Deylan Moreno grand slam, to put UTD ahead to stay.

Skivington then added a home run - his second of the series - in a three-run 5th. Marcos Villegas led off the 6th with another homer on the way to a four-run frame. For good measure, UTD got its 18th run in the 7th on a Keagan Vance RBI single.

Six of the Comet starters finished with multiple hits, led by Liu (4-for-4) and Jacob Perry (3-for-4). In addition to the four UTD home runs, Perry, Ramon Garza and Moreno all had doubles.