ABILENE, TX (04.14.09) – In less than two weeks, the UT Dallas baseball team will most likely be heading to Abilene for its opening round playoff series in the American Southwest Conference Championship Tournament. In a preview of the opposition the Comets will no doubt be facing, UTD's offense pounded out 27 hits and hit seven home runs in topping McMurry, 7-4; then outscoring Hardin-Simmons, 11-9.
The pair of wins improves UTD's overall record to 22-15 and runs the Comets' current win streak to 8 nine straight games dating back to its win in the final game of the UT-Tyler series back on March 30. McMurry, which has a good shot at finishing second in the ASC West and hosting the Comets in a couple of weeks, fell to 22-14. HSU, which has a chance to either win the ASC West or drop to third following a series with Texas Lutheran this weekend, is now 23-14.
With two multiple-hit games, UTD's
Cody Ross wasn't the only Comet to enjoy a nice day at the plate. But the UTD third baseman, who was 7-for-11 on the day, probably found his way into the record books by hitting home runs in his first three plate appearances against HSU.
UTD 7, McMURRY 4 (boxscore)
and his McMurry counterparts were
pitching what looked like it would be a tight, low-scoring affair. UTD had managed just two hits and McMurry led 1-0 by getting a home run on one of its three hits. Back-to-back RBI singles from
Randy Lorber and Ross in the 4th gave UTD a brief 2-1 lead, but McMurry answered in the 6th to tie up the score at 2-2.
The Comets broke the game open in the 7th with a four-run, five-hit inning that included home runs from
Brad Price and
Jared Smith. Despite giving up single runs in the 7th and 8th, UTD held off McMurry by scoring again in the 8th on a
Garet Norton sacrifice fly.
Dinwiddie unfortunately left the game before he could earn credit for the win, but the Comet senior had one of his best outings of the year, giving up just four hits and one run in a five-inning start.
UTD 11, HSU 9 (boxscore)
The Comets went across town and brought their bats with them, pounding out 15 hits and scoring their first five runs all on solo homers - three straight from Ross and single shots from Lorber and
Kyle Guest. After five, though, the Comets were up just 5-4 and then saw HSU tie up the game after taking an 8-4 lead in the top of the 6th with a four-hit inning.
The game remained tied until the top of the 8th when the Comets put three more on the board with just two hits and a pair of errors on the HSU shortstop on back-to-back plays.
Adam Hudec broke the tie with a 2-RBI double and UTD scored again on a bases-loaded walk. HSU answered with an unearned run in the eighth off an error, one hit and two wild pitches.
Adam Spinn shut HSU down in the 9th to pick up the save.
Tim Flasik was credited with the victory.
