LONGVIEW, Texas --
Lane Williams hit a walk-off three-run home run in the bottom of the ninth to cap a wild comeback win as the LeTourneau baseball team took the series opener over UT Dallas, 10-8, on Friday evening.
What was once a doubleheader turned into a single-game as the threat of rain in the area increased through the night. The two teams will now play a doubleheader on Saturday at 4 p.m. at Conrad-Vernon Field.
LeTourneau (18-20, 12-13 ASC) took a 3-0 lead in the first, only to see UT Dallas (22-16, 14-11) grab an 8-7 lead after a five-run eighth inning.
In the ninth, the YellowJackets struck again. Back-to-back walks to
Cameron Pfafman and
Andrew Klingenstein put runners at first and second with one out. After a strikeout, Williams came up with two outs and delivered a no-doubt three-run home run to left field. The homer was Williams' fourth of the season.
It was LeTourneau's second ninth-inning comeback win in two weeks after pulling off a similar victory on the road at McMurry on April 15.
Klingenstein was the story early on for the YellowJackets as he hit a three-run home run in the first inning and added a two-run double in the seventh inning. Klingenstein finished the day 2-for-4 with a home run, five RBIs, and three runs scored.
After trailing 3-0 in the first, UT Dallas scratched across single runs in the third, fifth, and sixth innings to even the score at 3-3.
In the seventh, LeTourneau put up four runs to regain a 7-3 advantage. A wild pitch allowed
Devin Greaff to score the go-ahead run before Klingenstein's two-run double made it 6-3.
Cole Thompson followed with an RBI single to make it 7-3.
UT Dallas answered in the eighth as the Comets scored five runs and took an 8-7 lead on Nico Fernandez's two-run, pinch-hit home run.
Aman Patel was strong on the mound for LeTourneau as he went a season-high seven innings and scattered five hits, four earned runs, and five strikeouts.
Will Bond (4-2) got the win in relief.
Dane Jones, Pfafman, Williams, and
Ethan Wood all had two hits apiece for the YellowJackets.
UT Dallas starter Ryan Vera lasted four innings before giving way to the bullpen. Caleb Vuono (1-1) picked up the loss.
UP NEXT
LeTourneau and UT Dallas finish the series on Saturday with a doubleheader starting at 4 p.m. Senior Day ceremony will take place before the first game.
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