ABILENE, TX (03.08.10) – Just when it looked like the UT Dallas pitching staff had been stretched to the limit, a pair of seldom-used hurlers came through in the clutch and teamed with a walk-off home run from Jacob Starnes to hand nationally-ranked Marietta College its first loss of the season, 2-1, Monday night at the Abilene Classic.

Earlier in the day, three Comet pitchers got battered around a bit as UTD fell, 10-7, to host Hardin-Simmons.

Junior Cameron Brown, who had piched just two days earlier in a three-game set with Mary Hardin-Baylor, stepped in and delivered 5.0 innings of shutout ball against Marietta (2-1), which was coming off a 19-hit, 18-5 spanking of ASC East foe UT-Tyler in a game earlier in the day. Infielder Larry Bolding then stepped up and delivered 2.0 innings of one-hit pitching in his first mound appearance of the year..

UTD 2, #14 MARIETTA (OH) 1 (Boxscore)

Sophomore shortstop Jacob Starnes was one of only three Comets with a base hit going into the 9th inning, but delivered the game-winning home run - his first of the season - with two outs and extra innings looking inevitable in a struggle with the nation's 14th-ranked team.

Starnes big hit saved the night for Comet closer Adam Spinn, who also had pitched twice over the weekend. Spinn allowed Marietta to tie the score in the 8th by loading the bases with a hit batter, a walk and a bunt base hit. The Comets got out of that jam with a double play that allowed the tying run to score and a big defensive play by first baseman Clint Dunham on a hard-hit ball up the line.

Spinn was in danger again in the top of the 9th with runners advancing to second and third before he struck out Jordan Thompson for the final out. Marietta was just 2-of-13 with runners in scoring position during the game.

The Comets took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first and were able to hold it through most of the game. Starnes and Randy Lorber walked to open the game and Lorber eventually scored on an Adam Hudec single. UTD did, however, leave the bases loaded without getting another run home. The Comets managed just one other hit the rest of the way against a pair of Marietta pitchers before Starnes' home run.

HSU 10, UTD 7 (Boxscore)

The Comets followed the all-too-familiar pattern in the Monday opener, falling behind early and trying to rally late. This time, the lead was much too large to overcome as HSU (6-6) jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first two innings and never trailed.

UTD scored a pair in the 3rd with an HSU error opened the door for Joseph Killgore and Lorber to score. Unearned runs in the 6th and 7th, then a Starnes RBI hit in the 8th cut the lead down to 10-5 in the 8th, but the Comets could only manage two runs in their final at-bat. Grant Friddell and Drew Hallford each drove in 9th inning runs, but the Comets came up three runs short.

Dane Dougherty took the loss, giving up 8 runs and 7 hits in the first three innings, though three of the runs were unearned thanks to 5 UTD errors. Ryan Miner was impressive, however, shutting out HSU in the final two innings without a hit.

Friddell led a 10-hit UTD attack with a 3-for-5 game, 4 RBIs and 2 runs scored.