Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 |
Box Score 3 CLINTON, MS (04.06.14) - The UT Dallas baseball team stayed in the mix for a post-season berth Saturday, sweeping a doubleheader from Mississippi College behind stellar pitching performances from sophomores
Calvin Campbell and
Tyler Dauer. After dropping the 7-3 opener to the Choctaws Friday night, the Comets held MC at bay Saturday with 3-2 and 6-2 wins.
Campbell threw a seven-inning three-hitter in the seven-inning opener Saturday, then Dauer threw six innings of no-hit baseball before having to rely on relief help and a late Comet rally to take the series.
The pair of wins kept the Comets (17-17, 8-7 ASC) firmly in the middle of a five-team chase for the American Southwest Conference East Division's four post-season playoff spots. UTD, which has just three conference games left (two weeks from now at home against East Texas Baptist University), is one of three teams with eight conference wins. Louisiana College (8-4) and ETBU (6-6) still have six conference games left. UT Tyler, which still has six games remaining, sits on top of the division race at 9-3. UTT and LeTourneau (which UTD holds a tiebreaker over) meet next weekend.
UTD is trying to qualify for the ASC Championship Tournament for the 10th time in the last 11 seasons, but likely needs to win its final series with ETBU to wrap up one of the four post-season spots.
Daniel Saxon was the offensive star for the Comets, collecting multiple hits in all three games. He finished the weekend 6-for-14 with five runs scored.
FRIDAY: MC 7, UTD 3
The game marked the third straight ineffective outing for one-time staff ace
Derek Dallas, who gave up 16 hits in a 7.2-inning start. Dallas, who fell to 4-4 with the loss, struck out just three batters before giving way to
Michael Ward in the eighth inning.
A pair of hits and the first of three UTD errors opened the door to an unearned run for the Choctaws in the first inning. Three more hits plated a pair of runs for MC in the third, and a four-hit inning in the fifth gave the Choctaws a 5-0 lead while starter Mack Murray was limiting the Comets to just three hits through the first five innnings.
In the sixth, Timothy Cole singled and
Jacob Price walked to open the inning, and advanced to second and third with no outs. But only Cole was able to score on a
Brandon Clounch sacrifice fly and Price was left stranded. In the seventh, UTD did cut the lead down to 5-3 with a two-run inning.
Tanner Gandy walked and stole second before
Daniel Saxon brought him home on a double down the left field line. A throwing error by the MC left fielder also allowed Saxon to score on the play.
MC then stretched out the lead in the bottom of the eighth with two more runs, chasing Dallas from the game. Three hits and another error put the Choctaws out fron 7-3 before the Comets came to bat in the ninth. The Comets got something going in their last at-bat, loading the bases with no one out.
Trevor Clifton reached on a third strike wild pitch,
Micah Easterling singled and
Zak Anderson walked. But Austin Trehern came in in relief of Murray and got a pair of popups and a strikeout to end the game.
SATURDAY (GM1): UTD 3, MC 2
Campbell (3-1) only allowed three hits in the seven-inning start and UTD was able to piece together enough offense to even the series with a 3-2 win in the opener of the Saturday doubleheader. The Comets broke open a 1-1 tie with a pair of runs on a 2-RBI double from
Jake Wyand in the sixth inning and Campbell allowed his only earned run of the game, giving up a two-out solo home run in the sixth.
UTD got on the board in its first at-bat.
Daniel Saxon led off the game with a single up the middle, went to second on a sacrifice bunt, then scored on a
Jacob Price single to right field. MC got the game tied back up in the bottom of the inning, scoring an unearned run after an opening error, sacrifice and stolen base allowed the runner to come home on Campbell's first hit of the game.
While Campbell was allowing just two other baserunners (on another hit and a walk), the Comets finally took the lead in the sixth. Saxon again was the catalyst, reaching on a leadoff single to left field. Price followed with a single to right and both runners moved up on a wild pitch. Wyand then laced a double through the left side to bring both teammates home.
Campbell got two quick outs in the sixth, but MC's Pate Shackelford worked a 10-pitch at-bat before sending a 3-2 pitch over the left field wall to cut the lead down to one. But the UTD sophomore righthander quashed any thoughts of a comeback by getting a strikeout and two ground balls in the seventh to claim the win.
SATURDAY (GM2): UTD 6, MC 2
Sophomore
Tyler Dauer took up where Campbell left off in the second game of the doubleheader, quieting the Choctaw bats while UTD built an early lead. But it took a four-run eruption from the Comet offense in the 8th inning to claim the win.
After six innings, the Comets were leading 4-0 and Dauer had a no-hitter going. After giving up just two baserunners through the first six frames (on a walk and an error), Dauer's day came to an end in the seventh as MC finally got to him for three hits and an error.
But UTD's bats came to life in the top of the ninth, breaking the game open with five of its 14 hits in the game. The Comets scored four times and
Jason Fink was able stop any last-minute thoughts from the Choctaws, coaxing three straight fly balls to end the game.
The Comets got on the board early, again scoring in their first at-bat.
Daniel Saxon led off the game with a single and advanced to third on a wild pitch and ground ball out.
Jacob Price then delivered the RBI single to give UTD a 1-0 lead. In the fourth, Timothy Cole doubled down the leftfield line, then made it 2-0 on a
Trevor Clifton sacrifice fielders choice.
After MC had tied the score at 2-2 with single runs in the seventh and eighth innings, UTD put the game out of reach in the top of the ninth.
Zak Anderson led off with a single, then both
Pierce Fly and
Tanner Gandy beat out sacrifice bunt attempts for infield singles to load the bases. The Choctaws stopped the bleeding briefly, gunning down Anderson at the plate, but Cole followed withn a bases-loaded double that brought home two runs. Wyand then brought home two more with another RBI double.
Wyand, Saxon, Cole and Fly all finished with two hits each in the game as the Comets had 14 hits. Gandy was 3-for-4.
