GRAND PRAIRIE, TX (02.10.17) - Seven UT Dallas hitters had multi-hit afternoons while the Comets pounded five Concordia Texas pitchers for 19 hits in a season-opening 19-3 win over the Tornados at The Ballpark in Grand Prairie.

Returners Mitch Barati and Ryan Burciaga were joined by newcomers Thomas Craig and Luke Richter in collecting three hits each while Barati and Richter drove in three runs apiece. Transfer Alex Stack hit the first home run of the season for UTD in the 4th inning, putting the Comets ahead to stay. UTD (1-0) tne blew the game open scoring six times in the 5th.

Junior starter Tristin DerMargosian (1-0) collected the win in a five-inning start, but was overshadowed by reliever Jamie Andriot, who pitched four scoreless innings in relief to pick up the save.

UTD defeated Concordia ace Justin Traxler (1-1), who didn't make it out of the 5th. Concordia fell to 1-3 with the loss.

The Comets struck first, plating a single run in the top of the 3rd on their first two hits of the game, but Concordia matched them in the bottom of the 3rd with a pair of two-out singles. Stack's two-run homerun made it 3-1 UTD in the top of the 4th, but the Tornados answered with back-to-back doubles in the bottom of the inning to pull to within a run.

UTD then sent 11 batters to the plate in a six-run 5th, collecting seven hits and taking advantage of two CTX errors. New first baseman Barry Casey and Craig each drove in a pair of runs with doubles in the frame. The Comets then added three in the 6th on four hits and two more errors, including a pair of hits with two outs. Two hits and two more CTX errors in the 7th finished the scoring for the Comets with three more runs.

After taking over for DerMargosian in the 6th, Andriot gave up just three hits the rest of the way, striking out six Tornados with just one walk.

The Comets return to Grand Prairie at 11 am Saturday for a meeting with another American Southwest Conference foe, Hardin-Simmons. First pitch is set for 11 am.