RICHARDSON, Texas (02.20.15) - The UT Dallas baseball team bats came to life Friday afternoon to help the Comets salvage the final game of their opening American Southwest Conference series with an 8-1 win over East Texas Baptist.

UTD (3-7, 1-2 ASC) knocked five ETBU pitchers around for 12 hits, scoring in five different innings to top the Tigers (6-3, 2-1 ASC), who pulled out a couple of one-run wins over UTD to open the series on Thursday. 
 

The Comets got their third straight quality start on the mound as freshman Cole Hanson gave up just one run and struck out three in a 6.1-inning start. John Quisenberry tossed the final 2.2 innings, giving up just one hit to the final seven batters. The UTD defense got Quisenberry out of trouble twice with double plays, including the final two outs.

The top of the order went 7-for-14 at the plate, led by Tim Cole's 3-for-4 performance. Jimmy Norris and Brandon George had two hits apiece, along with Nolan Smith and Pierce Fly.

The Comets showed a sign of things to come in the 1st, loading the bases before George was thrown out at the plate for the third out. Pierce Fly reached third in the 2nd, but was left stranded. But in the 3rd, UTD finally got on the board when Norris doubled to open the inning, went to third on a Cole bunt single and scored on Smith's fielders' choice.

In the 4th, UTD added two more runs. Fly doubled and then scored when a Ryan Downs SAC bunt was thrown past first base for an error. Downs eventually came around and scored an unearned run on an RBI single by Norris. UTD blew the game open with three runs in the 5th with two hits and a pair of ETBU errors. Brandon Clounch walked to open the inning and scored on a Fly single. Smith, who singled, came home on a squeeze play and Fly eventually scored on a throwing error by the shortstop.

After flirting with a no-hitter through the first four innings, Hanson gave up a pair of hits in the top of the 5th, but pitched out of trouble. In the 6th, ETBU added three more hits and finally pushed its first run across. But the Comets answered with single runs in the 7th and 8th, getting an RBI hit from Haden Johnson and another run on a double play ball in their final at-bat.

The Comets next games are next weekend in another ASC series on the road against defending league champion LeTourneau.