CLARKSVILLE, ARK (04.11.15) - The UT Dallas baseball team made it seven wins in a row Saturday, sweeping an American Southwest Conference doubleheader from The University of the Ozarks with a pair of shutouts, 4-0 and 13-0 in a finale called by the "mercy rule" after seven innings.
The Comets (18-13 overall) improved their ASC mark to 14-7, further solidifying their third-place standing in the conference race with just two ASC series to go in the regular season. Ozarks fell to 6-21, 3-16 in conference action.Â
The Comets won the series opener Friday afternoon, 16-6. UTD has now scored double-figure runs in five of its last six games.
UTD got a pair of complete-game shutouts in sweeping the Saturday doubleheader from
Brandon Lee and
Aaron Bach. Kaleb Robins was the hitting star, finishing the day 5-for-8 with two runs scored and 4 RBI that included a three-run home run.
GAME ONE: UTD 4, OZARKS 0The Comets got the only run
Brandon Lee would need in their first at-bat of the Saturday opener.
Tim Cole singled, stole second base and scored on a
Wesley Gill RBI single to left centerfield to make it 1-0. After three scoreless innings,
Jimmy Norris made it 2-0 in the top of the 5th when he was hit by a pitch, stole second base and eventually stole home for his 26th stolen base of the season.
UTD then doubled their lead in the 6th inning. Gill and
Kaleb Robinson, who was 3-for-4, led off the inning with singles. Then, with two outs, the Comets loaded the bases on a
Pierce Fly single and Gill came home on an infield single by Norris.
Haden Johnson, who was 2-for-4, scored when the Eagles shortstop misplayed a ground ball off the bat of Cole.
Lee improved to 4-2 on the season and lowered his overall ERA to 3.00 with his fourth complete game of the year. He scattered six hits in the seven-inning start and walked one, but struck out four Ozarks batters.
GAME TWO: UTD 13, OZARKS 0The Comets got their first complete game of the season from senior
Aaron Bach, who scattered five hits in a "mercy rule"-shortened, seven-inning game. Meanwhile, the Comet bats came back to life, pounding out 14 hits on their way to the 13-0 shutout win.
A three-run home run from
Kaleb Robinson sparked a six-run 6th inning that broke the game open. All four of the top hitters in the UTD lineup -
Jimmy Norris,
Tim Cole,
Brandon George and
Brandon Clounch - had multi-hit games to lead the attack.
The series finale was actually scoreless until the Comets came to the plate in the 3rd.
Haden Johnson had a leadoff double and scored the game's first run on a Norris sacrifice fly. Then, with two outs, Cole, George and Clounch all three delivered RBI hits, including a triple from George, to make it 4-0.
UTD added three more runs in the 5th with a four-hit assault.
Pierce Fly led off with a single, then scored on a fielder's choice from George.
Wesley Gill and Robinson again came through with two outs, both driving in runs to put the Comets ahead, 7-0.
The game went from bad to worse for the Eagles in the 6th. With two runners on and one out, Cole drove in the first of six runs with a single to right-centerfield. George followed with a two-RBI double, then Robinson launched his second home run of the past week, sending a 3-RBI shot over the left-centerfield wall.
Bach improved to 4-1 as a starter with the win. He struck out just two Ozarks hitters, but did not allow a walk.
UTD returns to ASC action next Friday and Saturday at home against Louisiana College.
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