RICHARDSON, TX (04.28.12) - For the second straight year, McMurry University played "giant killers" and knocked the American Southwest Conference East Division champion out of the post-season. Only this time, it was the East champion UT Dallas Comets who the War Hawks eliminated with a 2-1 series victory at the UTD Baseball Field.

The McMurry (21-22) pitching staff, which had come into the post season with a pedestrian 5.32 team earned run average got a pair of stellar pitching performances, holding one of the top-hitting offenses in the ASC to just 12 total hits on their way to a 2-0 shutout in the series opener and a 3-2 victory in the series finale.

UTD (28-14), which had posted double-digit hit totals in almost every game throughout the season, won the middle game of the series, 7-0; but couldn't keep the momentum going in the third game.

McMurry, which came into the post-season as the No. 4 seed out of the ASC West division, pulled off a similar upset last year, knocking East Division champion UT Tyler out of the 2011 tournament. The War Hawks will now advance once again to the four-team ASC Championship Touranment next weekend at a site still to be determined (See ascsports.org for details and updates).

Despite the series loss, it was a record-setting weekend for the Comets. With the Game 2 win, Coach Shane Shewmake reached the 300-win milestone in his UTD career. Senior shortstop Jake Starnes tied the school alltime hit record with 214 hits, tying Trent Elizondo. Marving Prestridge tied a school record for career wins with 20 (Kevin McKnight) and wins in a season with 9 (tying three others).

GAME 1 (FRIDAY): McM 2, UTD 0 (BOX SCORE)

McMurry pitcher Spencer Smith, who was named the ASC Outstanding Player of the series, kept the Comets off-balance throughout the Friday opener and the WarHawks blanked UTD, 2-0.
The Comets managed just three hits and a single walk against Smith, who shut UTD down on just 98 pitches through the nine-inning shutout and struck out seven. It was the first time the Comets have been shut out since April 23, 2010.

UTD never got a leadoff runner aboard during the game or could put together a multi-hit inning.

Meanwhile, McMurry took advantage of what opportunities they could muster against UTD starter Derek Dallas, whose offense wasted a three-hit, nine-strikeout showing of his own.

McMurry got the only run it would need in the 3rd when the War Hawks' first hit of the game - a double by Kory Moench - opened the inning and he eventually scored the game's first run on an RBI groundout.

A double play erased a walk in the 4th inning before Dallas retired the side in the 5th and 6th with four strikeouts along the way. But McMurry got an important insurance run in the 7th with another leadoff double, this time by Matt Thompson, who lifted a 3-2 pitch down the right field line. After a ground out, he came home on a sacrifice fly from Andrew Bell to make it 2-0.
UTD, meanwhile, went in order the first three innings before they had their best scoring opportunity in the 4th. Zak Anderson (who finished with two of UTD's three hits) doubled down the left field line with one out, but Smith was able to get a pop-up and strikeout out of the meat of the UTD batting order to end that threat. The Comets never got another runner into scoring position the rest of the game.

The best chance came in the 7th when Jake Wyand singled with one out. Kyle Guest followed that up with a hard shot that looked like it would make it through the left side, but McMurry shortstop Kory Moench made a diving stop and started a 6-4-3 double play that ended the inning. Anderson again added some excitement in the 9th, beating out an infield single with a slide into first base with two outs, but a fielder's choiced ended the game.

GAME 2 (SATURDAY): UTD 7, McM 0 (BOX SCORE)

In the Saturday opener, the Comets were able to even up the series and force a third-and-deciding game. But it didn't look like it would be as easy a 7-0 when the game started.
McMurry starter Caleb Gonzalez was untouchable through the first two innings, striking out five of the first Comets he faced. But Gonzalez let the Comets take charge with a five-run 3rd inning. UTD only managed a single hit as 11 hitters came to the plate, but before Gonzalez was removed, he had walked five UTD hitters and hit another. Four runs scored in the inning off walks and the final came home with reliever Stephen Greenwood hit the first batter he faced with the bases loaded.

With one out, Matt Olszewski walked and came around after a hit batter, a Zak Anderson hit, and a Chase Brown walk. After two outs, Kyle Guest, Brandon Clounch and Jacob Price all drew bases-loaded walks, then Micah Easterling was hit by Greenwood to force in the fifth run.

Even in scoring seven runs, UTD managed just five total hits in the win, but got extra baserunners off nine walks. three McMurry errors and four hit batters.

On the other side of the ledger, it was the Comets who were getting the big time pitching performance from starter Marvin Prestridge. Prestridge, pitching his final game in a UTD uniform, gave up just four hits in an eight-inning start, striking out eight McMurry batters and holding the War Hawks scoreless before Chase Knight pitched a scoreless 9th.

It wasn't like the Comets were never in trouble, but Prestridge and the defense continually worked their way out of it. After the first two McM hitters reached in the first, Prestridge coaxed three harmless outs. A single and a stolen base in the second put a runner in scoring position with no outs, but Prestridge got a pair of strikeouts and a fly ball to end the inning.The War Hawks did the same thing in the 6th after a hit batter, but three popups ended the threat. A pair of hits and a wild pitch in the 8th put  runners at the corners with two outs before Prestridge got a shallow popup and strikout to end his day.

UTD added insurance runs in the 6th and 7th. Price walked to open the 6th and went to second on a failed pickoff attempt. He came home four batters later when an Anderson base hit was misplayed in the outfield. Jake Wyand opened the 7th with a walk and scored UTD's seventh run on an error.

GAME 3 (SATURDAY): McM 3, UTD 2 (BOX SCORE)

The series all came down to a Game 3, and the Comets again found themselves playing catchup against a War Hawk pitcher they couldn't solve. McMurry jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, added a single run in the 7th, then held off three furious rally attempts by UTD in the final three innings of the game.

The War Hawks jumped on UTD starter Jason Fink with a three-hit 1st inning, getting the game's first run with a two-out RBI single. With one out in the 2nd, Marcellous Biggins laid down a perfect bunt and went to second base when the throw pulled Guest off the bag at first. Nick Marsh then singled Biggins home to make it 2-0.

The Comets were still trying to figure out McMurry starter Casey Berryman, who gave up just one hit through the first five innings. Berryman. In the 6th, UTD finally mounted a threat to tie the game. Jacob Starnes singled to open the inning and Anderson drew a walk. After a Brown sacrifice bunt that he almost beat to first base, Berryman was able to coax a pair of popups out of Wyand and Guest to end the inning.

The War Hawks answered with what turned out to be the deciding run with two outs in the 8th. After McMurry's Matt Thompson drew a walk, Andrew Bell lifted a shallow popup to short right field. Wyand moved over for the catch, but strong southerly wind and spin on the ball knocked it down short and Thompson (running on the play) was able to race all the way around to score the game's third run.

UTD got right back in the game in its next turn at the plate. Brown drew a walk with one out and Wyand followed that with a two-run blast over the left field wall to make it 3-2. Charlie Hejny immediatley came to the mound in relief for the War Hawks and coaxed a pair of fly balls to right field to end the inning.

The Comets again ran into trouble in the top of the 9th after a walk and error, but an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play kept the McMurry lead at one going to UTD's final at-bat. The tying run got into scoring position when Price opened the inning getting hit by a pitch and was sacrificed to second base. But Henjy got a harmless popup for the second out, then Biggins made a leaping stab of a line drive off the bat of Starnes to end the season for UTD.