TYLER, Texas – After holding off a rally, the East Texas Baptist University softball team escaped with an 8-5 win over the University of Texas Dallas Comets in their first game of the American Southwest Conference Championship tournament. This win moves ETBU into the next round where they will face the winner of UT-Tyler and Mary Hardin-Baylor tomorrow.

For ETBU, Linzie Lewis and Jayme Perez had three hits each with Perez having three RBI. Kaitlyn Hollingshead had two RBI on two hits. On the mound, Kelly Jo McLendon picked up her twelfth win on the season with 4.2 innings pitched allowing five runs on eight hits and striking out two pitchers. Rocki Tello would get a save pitching the final 2.1 innings allowing just one hit and striking out one batter.

ETBU struck first with two runs on a bases loaded walk to Bowden and a single by Hollingshead. In the second, Perez would drive a three-run shot over the centerfield wall and it was 5-0. A two-run single by UTD in the top of the third cut the lead to three. ETBU would get a run on a single by Lacey Lindsey to make it 6-2 in the fourth.

The Comets would put up three in the top of the fifth to cut their deficit to one before Tello would pick up a huge strikeout to end the fifth. UTD had a runner on first in the sixth before a double play by Tello would end the Comets' threat. ETBU would answer with two runs on singles by Hollingshead and Shelby Irlbeck and it was 8-5 ETBU.  Tello would finish the Comets off in the seventh and the Tigers hung on for the win.

ETBU will play tomorrow at 4:00 pm against the winner of UT-Tyler/Mary Hardin-Baylor.