ABILENE (05.02.15) – The UT Dallas baseball team closed out the 2015 regular season Saturday afternoon with a doubleheader sweep of Hardin-Simmons to take the American Southwest Conference series from the Cowboys.

After dropping a 6-3 decision in Friday night's series opener, the Comets (now 25-15, 19-8 ASC) erupted for for a season-high 20 runs in a 20-9 victory to open Saturday's twin bill and then closed the weekend with a 7-4 win over the Cowboys.

In the doubleheader sweep, the UTD offense pounded out a combined 30 hits.

UTD, winners of 14 of its last 16 games, has earned the No. 3 seed in next weeks' ASC Tournament, held at Tornado Field on the campus of Concordia Texas in Austin. The Comets will open the event against No. 6 seed East Texas Baptist at 10 a.m. Wednesday.

GAME 1 - UTD 20, HSU 9
In Saturday's opener, the Comets scored a season-high 20 runs against seven Hardin-Simmons pitchers, and fell just one hit shy of tying the season-high hit total with 17. UTD's Kaleb Robinson, who hit a three-run home run in a seven-run first inning, was one of six Comets with multi-hit games and three (including Jimmy Norris and Tim Cole) with three.

Brandon Lee improved to 7-2 on the season despite giving up six runs on 7 hits in a four-inning start. Only three of the runs were earned, however, and he notched six strikeouts. Micah Easterling picked up his first save of the season, tossing the final three innings, giving up three runs on four hits with one strikeouts

The Comets left little doubt in this one by erupting for seven runs in their first at-bat. After Tim Cole drove in the first run of the game, Robinson started the rout with a three-run blast over the left-center wall. But UTD followed by loading the bases with two more singles and an error. Wesley Gill scored on a wild pitch, followed by Matthew Young on a ground out and David McKenzie on a Norman Cordova RBI single.

The two teams traded single runs in the 2nd and 3rd inning before HSU cut the lead in half (8-4) with a three-run 3rd. But UTD answered with another seven-run inning in the 4th that pulled the Comets out to a 15-4 lead. Eleven UTD hitters came to the plate in a five-hit assault that included RBIs from Cole (twice), Robinson, Bobby Garner, Cordova and two more from Norris.

HSU drove Lee out of the game with two more runs in the 4th to pull to within, 15-6; but the Comets pieced together a five-run, four-hit 6th inning to erase any chance for a comeback. After loading the bases, Gill drove in a pair with a double and McKenzie added another RBI single. Then on a Cordova strikeout that should have ended the inning, the ball got away from the HSU catcher, allowing another run to come home. Another wild pitch followed and UTD had a 20-6 lead.

HSU added three runs with a pair of homers in the bottom of the 6th, but no more.,

GAME 2 - UTD 7, HSU 4
The Comets picked up where they left off to begin the second game of the doubleheader, scoring three runs in the top of the 1st and never looking back on their way to a 7-4 win over HSU to wrap up the series and the regular season.

After a lead-off single by Norris, followed by two stolen bases, UTD scored the first run of the game on a Brandon George triple. Robinson then continued to swing a hot bat, blasting a two-run homer to give UTD a quick 3-0 lead.

The host Cowboys (now 13-24, 9-17 ASC) drew within a run after scoring a run in each the 2nd and 3rd inning, however UTD would not relinquish the lead, scoring four runs between the 5th and 8th frames.

In the 5th, the Comets took a 4-2 advantage after a McKenzie lead-off triple, followed two batters later by a George RBI single through the left side of the HSU infield. UTD added a pair of runs in the 6th on a back-to-back RBI doubles by Ryan Downs and McKenzie. The Comets scored a final run in the 8th on a McKenzie single to lift UTD to a 7-2 lead.

HSU scored a pair of runs in the 9th, including a solo home run by Cody Berryman, but ended the game on a double play ground ball by Taylor Cooling.

George, now hitting .404 on the season, led the Comets by going 4-for-5 with two RBI and a run scored while McKenzie ended the game 3-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored as well. Pierce Fly was 2-for-3 with a run scored.

UTD starter Aaron Bach did not factor into the decision after lasting just 4.0 innings, giving up two runs on six hits with two strikeouts. Zach Rubel (2-0) earned the victory as the first of three Comet relievers, tossing four hitless frames with two strikeouts. John Quisenberry and Michael Ward combined for the 9th.