RICHARDSON, TEXAS (04.26.22) - After the UT Dallas baseball team had stranded 14 baserunners over the first eight innings Tuesday afternoon, pinch hitter
Nick Balley delivered a game-winning hit for the Comets with two outs in the bottom of the 9th inning, leading UTD to a come-from-behind, 5-4 non-conference win over Texas Lutheran at the UTD Baseball Field.
Balley, who has been the Comets' first base coach for much of the season, came off the bench and lashed a 1-2 pitch hard down the left field line, scoring
Andrew Skivington with the winning run in a game the Comets (27-10) had trailed much of the way against TLU (26-11).
It was the Comets' fourth win this season against its in-state rival. Both teams qualified last season for the NCAA national tournament and had been ranked nationally this year.
It was another clutch hit earlier in the contest that finally got UTD back into the game. Down 4-0 after six innings, UTD tied the game up in the 7th with back-to-back solo home runs from
Jacob Perry and
Ramon Garza to lead off the inning before
Hunter Cheek drove in the tying runs with another two-out hit - a hard double down the left field line that brought home Skivington and
A.J. Liu.
The Bulldogs seemed firmly in command early, putting up single runs in the first two innings and then adding two more with a three-hit attack in the 5th. Until that point, meanwhile, the Comets had been held to just two hits. Over the final five innings, UTD added 12 hits to the tally.
UTD's pitching settled down, as well, throwing four shutout innings to finish the game, allowing just a single base hit the rest of the way.
Ryan Vera and
Grant Remy both threw hitless innings before
Orion Drymond (2-2) picked up the win with a three-up, three-down 9th.
Perry and Cheek both finished the game 3-for-4 at the plate while Garza and Liu each had a pair of hits.
The Comets wrap up the regular season this weekend with a three-game American Southwest Conference home series with Belhaven. The Comets and Blazers meet in a noon doubleheader Friday before finishing the series with a 12 pm single game Saturday. UTD needs just one win in that series to wrap up the No. 2 seed in the ASC and the right to host an opening round four-team Red Bracket playoff tournament May 5-6-7.
