RICHARDSON, TX (05.07.22) - It took bouncing back from a lackluster performance in the winner's bracket game, and then surviving the longest game in school history, but the UT Dallas baseball team will meet rival Belhaven once again Sunday afternoon for the American Southwest Conference Red Bracket Tournament title after edging past Hardin-Simmons, 4-3, in a 13-inning elimination game Saturday evening at the UTD Baseball Field.

UTD (30-13) and Belhaven (28-14) will meet for the right to advance to the ASC Gold Series at 1 pm Sunday afternoon. The Comets, after dropping a 7-1 winner's bracket decision to Belhaven earlier Saturday, would need to sweep a doubleheader from the Blazers to claim the Red Bracket title.

After managing just six hits late against Belhaven sidearm specialist Brett Sanchez in the earlier game, UTD gave up a game-tying run to HSU in the 9th inning of the late-evening elimination game and then had to fight through four extra frames before Ramon Garza delivered an RBI double off the left field wall in the 13th, scoring Jacob Perry in walk off fashion. Perry sparked the rally with one out in the 13th by stretching a base hit into a double to get into scoring position for Garza's game-winning hit.

ELIMINATION GAME: UTD 4, HSU 3 (13 innings)

Perry in fact scored three of the Comets' four runs in the game that ended the tournament run for HSU. In the 1st, he drew a walk, tagged up and moved to second on a Garza fly ball, then went to third on a balk to get into position for Andrew Skivington's RBI single through the right side. In the 3rd, Perry beat out a bunt to get on board, and moved to third after a Garza single and A.J. Liu walk before scoring on a double play ball. It was one of three double plays turned by HSU on the day.

The Comets made it 3-0 in the 4th, loading the bases with a hit, walk and error. Again, the Cowboys turned a double play, but Zac Vorst crossed the plate on the play. 

UTD, however, could not come up with a key hit the remaining five regulation innings, stranding eight base runners. Meanwhile, HSU got two runs back with a three-hit inning in the 7th to make it a one-run game. The Cowboys then got a walk and two singles against Comet closer Orion Drymond to tie the game in the 9th. HSU had an excellent chance to take a lead with bases loaded in the 11th, but this time it was UTD that got out of the jam with a double play.

Perry was one of five Comets with multiple hits, but only Garza and Skivington picked up RBIs. Starter Dylan Hugley threw six scoreless innings, but was lifted in the 7th and was responsible for HSU's first two runs. Kenny Garza (2-0), the sixth Comet pitcher to take the mound, was credited with the win.

WINNER'S BRACKET GAME: BELHAVEN 7, UTD 1

The Comet hitters simply could not figure out Sanchez in the earlier winner's bracket game until it was way too late. UTD did not manage a hit until Marcos Villegas singled through the right side in the 5th inning, and did not get a runner into scoring position until the 7th inning when they loaded the bases with two outs, but failed to bring anyone home.

Meanwhile, the Blazers jumped out to a 4-0 lead after two innings, getting three hits and a pair of runs in each frame. They added two more in the 6th to go up, 6-0, and tacked on a single run in the 8th before UTD could get on the scoreboard with a late run. In the bottom of the 9th, the Comets got singles from Liu and Villegas before Deylan Moreno drove home the only UTD run.

Prior to that, UTD had managed just three hits against Sanchez, and struck out nine times. Villegas, who was 2-for-3, was the lone Comet with multiple hits.