TYLER, TX (03.17.09) – The UT Dallas baseball team spent Tuesday night rallying from behind, but failed to give themselves a chance to win by surrendering three late runs in an 8-6, non-conference loss to the ASC East Division-leading UT-Tyler Patriots.
.jpg" alt="" />The Comets (12-10) had tied the score at 5-5 going into the bottom of the 8th inning, but the Patriots (19-4) came up with three runs off reliever
Tim Flasik and then stopped a final Comet rally in the 9th to claim the win.
UTD had gotten a two-out RBI double from
Jared Smith to get one run back in the 9th, but he was picked off second base for the final out of the game with the potential tying run at the plate.
Without Smith, though, the Comets would not have been as close as they were. Down 3-0 in the 3rd inning, Smith belted a two-run home run to get UTD back in the game. Tyler went back out front 5-2 when UTD came to bat in the 5th, but
Kyle Guest brought home
Cody Ross and
Adam Hudec with a 2-RBI single. Then, in the top of the 8th,
Jake Eisman led off with a solo home run to tie the score at 5-5. It was his fourth home run in the last week.
UT-Tyler, however, got three hits in the bottom of the 8th to take an 8-5 lead and UTD's final attempt to catch up fell short. UTD is now 2-5 in mid-week games.
Ross led UTD hitters with a 3-for-5 night, which included a double. Smith was the only other Comet with more than one hit, going 2-for-4. The Comets got three innings of scoreless relief from
Brad Buchanan, Johnathan Reeder and
Jeremiah Valentine before Flasik gave up the game-winning runs.
UTD returns to conference play this weekend with a three-game series at Mississippi College.
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