ABILENE, TX (03.08.11) – It was a rough trip to the Abilene Classic for the UT Dallas baseball team as the Comets dropped two games Tuesday at Hunter Field. UTD stumbled against Kansas Wesleyan, 9-3, in the first game of the day and was handed an 8-1 loss by host Hardin-Simmons before returning home.
GAME 1 – Kansas Wesleyan 9, UTD 3 (BOX SCORE)
The Comets started off quick as they plated three runs in the top of the first inning to take an early lead. Senior Grant Friddell opened the scoring with an RBI double to left field, bringing in junior Jacob Starnes from second base. Friddell would later score on a wild pitch and senior Garet Norton completed the first-inning scoring with a single to right field, bringing home junior Kyle Guest.
But, Kansas Wesleyan (now 6-3) responded with nine unearned runs, scoring at least one run in five straight innings to jump ahead by six runs after seven innings of play. The Coyotes did most of their damage in the fourth and fifth innings, scoring three runs in each frame.
Freshman right-hander Jason Fink tossed a solid first three innings for the Comets, giving up just one earned run on three hits with three strikeouts. Freshman left-hander Alex Kuhn (0-1) then made his debut for UTD on the hill and gave up six earned runs on five hits in 1.1 innings of work with one strikeout. Senior right-hander L.A. Wong entered with one out in the fifth frame and gave up one earned run on three hits in 2.2 innings before junior right-hander Ryan Miner tossed a perfect ninth inning.
Offensively, Friddell ended the game 2-for-5 with a run scored and an RBI while senior Jason Diemer was 2-for-4 from the plate. The Comets managed just six hits off of two KWU pitchers and committed three errors.
GAME 2 - Hardin-Simmons 8, UTD 1 (BOX SCORE)
The host Cowboys scored a run in the bottom of the first and never looked back as they handed UT Dallas a 8-1 loss in the Comets' final game at the Abilene Classic.
HSU (now 10-4) added two runs in the second, another in the third, two more runs in the fifth and two final runs in the seventh inning to pick up the Cowboy's third win over UTD this season. The Comets scored their only run on a one-out, sacrifice fly by senior Drew Hallford in the top of the 9th, scoring Friddell.
The Comets (now 9-7) managed just two hits through the first six innings and ended up with seven hits off of HSU starter Blake Sieck, who nearly issued UTD's first shutout of the season. Friddell was 2-for-4 with a run scored while senior Clint Dunham was 2-for-3. Freshman right-hander Cameron Brown (0-1) was handed the loss, giving up four earned runs on 11 hits in 5.1 innings pitched.
The Comets, who have now lost four of their last five games, will look to bounce back this weekend as they travel to Ozarks for a three-game weekend series to open American Southwest Conference East Division play. The two teams will play one game at 2 p.m. Friday and a 12 p.m. doubleheader Saturday in Clarksville, Ark.
