AUSTIN, TX (04.02.16) – After an exciting 7-3 win over league-leading Concordia Texas Friday night, the UT Dallas baseball team suffered a pair of one-run losses Saturday afternoon to the Tornados to close out a three-game American Southwest Conference series.
The Comets (now 12-12, 4-8 ASC) will look to bounce back Tuesday with a non-conference road game at the University of Dallas at 2 p.m. in Irving. UTD will then host Ozarks for a three-game ASC set next weekend.
Game 1 – CTX 3, UTD 2The Comets rallied to tie the game in the top of the 7th only give up a bases-loaded walk in the bottom of the frame and drop a 3-2 decision to host CTX to open Saturday's doubleheader.
Down 2-0 early, the Comets got on the board in the top of the 2nd with an RBI single by
Haden Johnson, scoring
Nick Marti from second base. The two starting pitchers then dueled through four scoreless frame before UTD knotted the game, 2-2, in the final inning with a two-out, pinch-hit double by
Nolan Smith, scoring Johnson from first base.
The Tornados, however, used three walks in the bottom of the 7th to even the ASC series a game apiece.
Johnson finished the game 2-for-3 with a run scored and RBI while Comet starter
Brandon Lee (2-2) was a hard-luck loser for the Comets after striking out seven CTX batters in 6.1 innings of work.
Game 2 – CTX 6, UTD 5The Comets jumped to an early 4-0 lead after two frames, but CTX used a four-run 6th inning to rally for a 6-5 win the series finale and take the series away from UTD.
UTD opened the game with five consecutive singles, but managed just two runs in the inning after a double play and a two-out strikeout. With the bases loaded after singles by
Jimmy Norris,
Tim Cole and
Brandon George, the Comets opened the scoring with a two-run single to left by
David McKenzie. In the 2nd, Norris plated
Mitch Barati with his team-leading third triple of the season and later scored on a Cole groundout, giving UTD a 4-0 advantage.
The Tornados cut the lead in half with a run in each the 3rd and 4th innings, but the Comets regained a three-run lead in the 5th when
Nick Marti scored from third on a CTX fielding error on a Smith ground ball.
Marti finished the game 3-for-4 while Norris and George each had multi-hit contests. McKenzie was 1-for-4 with two RBI.
