BROWNWOOD, TX (03.14.15) - The UT Dallas baseball team moved to 7-10 overall and 5-4 in American Southwest Conference play after completing a three-game sweep over Howard Payne with two wins Saturday afternoon.
After a 4-3 win over the Jackets Friday, the Comets edged HPU, 2-1, in Saturday's opener and completed the sweep with an 8-4 win. UTD returns home for the first time in a month Friday as the Comets open a three-game series with Texas-Tyler. The two teams will play a single game at 2 p.m. Friday before squaring off in a noon doubleheader Saturday, all at the UTD Baseball Field.
GAME 1 - UTD 2, HPU 1The Comets chipped out a 2-0 lead early in the seven-inning game, then held off a late rally by the Yellowjackets to claim the win. UTD defeated HPU in the series opener Friday, 4-3. After 1-2 showings in their first two ASC series of the season, UTD (6-10 overall) evened up its conference record at 4-4. HPU fell to 8-8 and 3-7 in ASC play.
Just like the Friday opener, the Comets got a stellar pitching performance from their starter, but needed some late relief work from
John Quisenberry to hold off the Yellowjackets. The UTD offense also could have made things easier, but left nine runners stranded in the game.
Tyler Dauer, who evened up his season record at 2-2 with the win, did not allow a base hit until the fifth inning and struck out nine in the six-inning outing.,?It was Quisenberry's second save in as many days.
UTD took the lead for good in their first at-bat.
Jimmy Norris singled to open the game, and advanced to second on a throwing error. He then stole third base and scored on an RBI single to center by
Tim Cole to give the Comets a 1-0 lead.
Pierce Fly, Norris and Cole again delivered in the 4th inning, putting consecutive two-out singles together to give Dauer a 2-0 lead.
The Yellowjackets finally got to Dauer in the 6th, scoring a single run on a pair of doubles, but he was able to get out of the jam with the tying run at second base with a fly ball for the final out.
GAME 2 - UTD 8, HPU 4The Comets used four two-run innings and never trailed as they closed out the series sweep of Howard Payne with an 8-4 victory.
UTD opened the scoring with an RBI bunt single by Ryan downs in the 2nd, scoring Fly, and added a second run in the frame three batters later with a sacrifice fly by Norris, scoring
Wesley Gill. The Comets doubled their lead in the 4th, scoring one run on a HPU error and taking a 4-0 advantage after Cole RBI single, scoring
David McKenzie.
After giving back two runs to the Jackets in the bottom half of the 4th, UTD added two more runs in the 5th on an RBI double by Fly, scoring
Haden Johnson from first, and an RBI groundout by McKenzie, scoring Fly. HPU drew back within two runs, however, with a single run in 5th and 7th.
The Comets completed the scoring with two runs in the top of the 8th on back-to-back sacrifice flies by Johnson and Fly.
Aaron Bach (2-1) picked up the win in relief, giving up two runs on six hits in 3.0 innings of work. UTD starter
Cole Hanson gave up two runs on five hits in a short 3.1-inning start.
Michael Ward tossed the final 2.2 innings, taking over for Bach in the 7th, and did not allow a hit. All three Comets pitchers collected two strikeouts and issued no walks.
Offensively, Downs finished the game 3-for-4 with an RBI while Fly finished 1-for-1 with three walks, three runs scored and two RBI.
