RICHARDSON, TX (04.06.12) - The UT Dallas baseball team solidified its claim on the "driver's seat" in the American Southwest Conference East Division race this weekend with a three-game sweep over Mississippi College. The division-leading Comets used unstoppable offense and solid pitching to dispatch of the Choctaws, 15-5, 8-2 and 4-3.
The sweep puts UT Dallas (23-11 overall) in a solid position atop the ASC East standings with a 12-3 record and just three divisional games remaining on the schedule. After hosting Centenary College in a non-conference series next week, the Comets will finish out the regular season at East Texas Baptist April 20-21 potentially needing just one win to lock their second East Division championship in the 11-year history of the program. UTD can finish no worse in the standings than 12-6, which would lock up at least a No. 2 seed in the ASC post-season playoffs and the chance to host a first-round series April 27-28.
UT Tyler, which had a non-conference series with Centenary this weekend, is sitting at 8-4 in conference games, but has six more divisional games remaining and lost a head-to-head tiebreaker with the Comets earlier this season.
Mississippi College, which came into the series with a shot at moving up significantly in the division race, fell to 14-18 overall and 5-7 in conference games. The Choctaws have six games remaing.
The series sweep marked nine straight wins for UTD, which has gone 21-5 since starting the season 2-6. The series marked the 11th time in the last 12 games that UTD's hitters have pounded out 10 or more its in a game. UTD, which had a combined 43 hits in the three games, got big offensive weekends up and down the lineup.
Chase Brown extended his eight-game hitting streak with a 7-for-10 weekend with five RBI.
Jacob Starnes tied a school record with a 5-for-6 performance in the opener and finished at 7-for-14.
Kyle Guest used a grand slam home run in Game 1 to propel him to a 5-for-13 weekend. And, designated hitter
Kaleb Robinson, who homered in the finale, was 5-for 11.
FRIDAY GAME: UTD 15, MC 5 (BOX SCORE)
Junior right-hander
Derek Dallas took a perfect game into the 7th inning and got plenty of offensive support as the Comets pulled away from Mississippi College, 15-5, in the Friday opener.
While the Comet bats were pounding out 21 hits, it was Dallas who grabbed the spotlight, throwing 7.1 innings of no-hit baseball before the Choctaws finally broke through with a pair of runs in the 8th inning. UTD then sent 15 batters to the plate in the 8th inning, scoring nine more times to put the game out of reach.
Dallas (5-4) was brilliant in his 8.0 innings of work, retiring the first 18 batters he faced before the the Choctaws' J'Marcus Brooks led off the 7th inning by reaching on a Comet error. Dallas got out of the jam, however, after a line out and an inning-ending double play to keep his no-hit bid alive as he faced the minimum 21 batters through seven frames.
But after a strikeout to start the 8th, the Choctaws got their second base-runner of the game on another error, but MC's Pate Shackelford broke up the no-hitter with a double to right field. Dallas finished the game giving up two unearned runs on three hits in the inning with seven total strikeouts and no walks.
UTD opened the game offensively with three straight hits, but managed just one run in the 1st inning.
Jacob Starnes doubled to right to get things started and moved to third on a bunt single by
Zak Anderson, giving UTD runners at the corners.
Chase Brown then nearly gave the Comets an early 3-0 lead, but his long fly ball to left center field hit the wall the same time as MC centerfielder Brooks. Brown was credited with just an RBI single as Anderson had to wait to see if Brooks would make the catch.
The trio at the top of the UTD lineup - Starnes, Anderson and Brown - finished the game hitting a combined 13-for-15 with 8 combined runs scored.
The Comets would not score again until the 4th when
Kyle Guest came home on a one-out fielders' choice ground ball by
Micah Easterling to give UTD a 2-0 advantage. The Comets then plated three runs in the 5th and another run in the 6th to grab a 6-0 lead in support of Dallas. In the 5th, Brown started the scoring with a two-run double, plating Starnes and Anderson, and later advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a sacrifice fly by
Jake Wyand. UTD loaded the bases in the 6th, but managed just one run when Starnes scored on a two-out error by MC first baseman Brett Hightower on a ground ball hit by Wyand.
After giving up the two runs to the Choctaws in the 8th, UTD exploded for nine run in the bottom of the frame as the Comets' put 10 consecutive batters on base to start the inning. After singles by Starnes, Anderson and Brown to load the bases, Wyand drew a walk to give UTD a 7-2 lead. Guest then put the game out of reach with a grand slam home run deep over the left field wall, his second long ball of the season, to make it an 11-2 game.
After a single by
Kaleb Robinson and a Choctaw pitching change, the Comets loaded the bases again with a single by
Jacob Price and a walk by Easterling.
Matt Olszewski then plated a pair of runs with a single up the middle to lift UTD to a 13-2 advantage. Starnes then picked up his second hit of the inning, a single to right field, to load the bases for a third time, setting up a sacrifice fly by Anderson and an RBI single by Brown to complete Comet scoring.
The Choctaws picked up three runs on four hits off UTD reliever
Alex Kuhn in the 9th.
Starnes tied a program record for hits in a game, going 5-for-6 with four runs scored, while Brown was 4-for-4 with four RBI and two runs scored and Anderson was 4-for-5 with two runs scored and an RBI. Guest finished 2-fo-5 with four RBI and a two runs scored.
Choctaws starter Scott Trousdale (2-3) was handed the loss after giving up six runs on 11 hits in 6.0 innings with six strikeouts. Bo Craig allowed six runs on six hits in his inning on the mound while Austin Trehern gave up three runs on three hits without recording an out in the 8th. Brooks Forternberry finished the game for the Choctaws, giving up just one hit with two strikeouts to complete the 8th.
SATURDAY DH GAME 1: UTD 8, MC 2 (BOX SCORE)
The Comets broke open a 2-2 tie with five runs in the 4th inning of the seven-inning doubleheader opener Saturday, making a winner out of starter
Jason Fink (5-2). The Comets sent 10 batters to the plate in the 4th, rattling off six consecutive hits to open the inning and putting the game out of reach once again for the Choctaws.
Fink, who scattered eight hits in his 5.1-inning start, made it to the 6th, when sophomore transfer
Chase Knight came in and threw 1.2 innings of no-hit, shutout relief with a pair of strikeouts to secure the victory.
UTD fell behind 2-0 in the top of the 1st as Fink gave up four hits before the Comets ever got to the plate. After UTD stranded a pair of runners in the first,
Kaleb Robinson opened the 2nd with a single and
Jacob Price tied the game up with a towering shot over the left field wall.
MC threatened to take the lead in the 4th when the first two hitters reached base by a hit batter and walk, but UTD catcher
Micah Easterling picked a runner off first and Fink followed with a strikeout and ground ball to end the threat.
The Comets responded immediately.
Kyle Guest and Robinson started the inning with singles to center field, then
Zak Anderson beat out a beautiful sacrifice bunt attempt and loaded up the bases. Easterling then brought home the go-ahead run with another hit up the middle and
Matt Olszewski followed that up with a two-RBI single to right-centerfield. Starnes loaded up the bases with a bloop single, then Brown got an RBI the hard way, getting hit by a pitch to score the fourth run of the inning.
Jake Wyand followed with a sacrifice fly for just the second out of the frame, bringing home Olszewski to make it 7-2.
UTD added an insurance run in the 5th when Robinson reached on an error, and scored on Olszewski's third RBI of the game.
SATURDAY DH GAME 2: UTD 4, MC 3 (BOX SCORE)
After all the offense ovdr the weekend, it was a brilliant defensive play from UTD catcher
Micah Easterling who capped off the 4-3 winner in the series finale for UTD.
With UTD holding a tenuous one-run lead and MC's Brett Hightower putting the tying run on base to lead off the 9th inning, Choctaw pinch-hitter Josh Perez tried to bunt Hightower into scoring position. UTD closer
Max Willard came home with a hard fastball in on the hands, causing Perez to pop up the ball behind the plate. Easterling was able to make a diving stab of the popup, falling away from the plate as he made the catch. With Easterling on his hands and knees, Hightower decided to take off for second base anyway, but the Comet freshman turned quickly and fired a strike to shortstop
Jacob Starnes who applied the tag, and effectively ended the MC comeback attempt.
Easterling's play preserved the win for Comet starter
Marvin Prestridge, who improved to 7-1 on the season. Prestridge scattered six hits over eight innings, but allowed just three after giving up a two runs to the Choctaws with a three-hit 3rd inning.
UTD took a 1-0 lead in the 2nd inning when Guest singled, was moved to second when Robinson was hit by a pitch, and scored on an RBI single to center by Easterling. But MC countered with three hits in the 3rd, all coming with two outs, and went up 2-1. The Choctaws made it 3-1 an inning latter when Hightower led off the inning with a solo home run that hit the scoreboard in right field.
After stranding runners in both the 3rd and 4th inning, UTD finally broke through in the 5th, scoring the final three runs of the game. With runners aboard and two outs,
Jake Wyand,
Kyle Guest and Robinson went back-to-back-to-back with RBI hits, including doubles from Wyand and Robinson. Prestridge allowed no more than four hitters in an inning the rest of the way before giving way to Willard for the 9th inning.
The Comets wrap up their regular season home schedule next Friday and Saturday with a three-game non-conference series against Centenary College.
