RICHARDSON, TX (04.27.17) - The UT Dallas baseball team stayed within reach of a potential first-round hosting opportunity in next week's American Southwest Conference Championship Tournament with a convincing 14-4 win over Howard Payne Thursday afternoon in the first of a three-game ASC series.

The Comets (29-9, 17-5) moved into a tie for second place in the ASC by pounding four HPU pitchers for 20 hits, scoring four times in the 1st inning and never looking back.

ETBU dropped the first of an important three-game series with first-place UT Tyler Friday evening, 7-5. The Comets. who hold a tiebreaker advantage over ETBU, could wrap up the ASC's second seed and opportunity to host a first-round tournament when they meet Howard Payne in a 12 noon doubleheader on Friday. 

Junior Jamie Andriot (9-0) picked up his ninth win of the season, tying a group of former Comets for the UTD record of wins in a single season. Junior Ruben Renteria (8-1) will attempt to join that group with his start Friday. Senior Jonathan May earned a three-inning save, allowing just two hits and striking out four in the final three innings. Andriot was touched for seven hits and three earned runs, but struck out nine in a six-inning start.

The Comets had five players credited with three hits, and the top four hitters in the order finished the game 11-for-20 with nine runs scored and nine RBI. Junior first baseman Barry Casey led the way with a 3-for-6 game, scoring three times and driving in four runs, including two with a home run.

The Comets opened the game with four consecutive hits in the 1st inning. Josh Covey and Isaiah Swann scored on a Connor Scruggs double, then Barry Casey came home on a Mitch Barati sacrifice fly to make it 3-0. Rodney Corbin started the 2nd inning with another single and scored on a Swann sac fly.

After giving up a pair of runs in the top of the 3rd, UTD got three back in the bottom of the frame. Corbin brought home both Luke Richter and Michael Morton with a two-out double down the right field line, then Swann delivered an RBI single to score Corbin.

The YellowJackets tacked on single runs in the 4th and 6th innings to cut the lead to 7-4, but the Comets answered with two more in the bottom of 6th, then put it away with a five-run 7th. After a leadoff single from Swann to start the 6th, Casey sent a no-doubt shot over the right field wall. In the 7th, UTD went through three HPU pitchers, scoring five times on three hits and a pair of YellowJacket errors. Only two of the five runs were earned. Swann brought home Edmundo Ojeda with an RBI single, then Casey's single to right scored both Josh Covey and Swann. Richter capped the scoring with a towering double off the top of left field wall that scored both Casey and Scruggs.



MORE TO COME