FORT WORTH, TX (02.14.18) - The UT Dallas baseball team pounded out 17 hits on the way to its first win of the season Wednesday afternoon, a 7-1 midweek road victory over Texas Wesleyan at Sycamore Park. 

The Comets (1-4) jumped out to a big lead with a three-run 5th inning, and held the Rams (5-2) to just one run in the nine-inning matchup.

Sophomores Luke Richter and Peyton Becker led the onslaught with three hits each, combining for three RBI. The top of the UTD lineup - seniors Josh Covey, Ryan Burciaga and Barry Casey - were a combined 6-for-12 with five runs scored.

Senior pitchers Cole Hanson and Tristan DerMargosian worked four scoreless innings to open the game before giving way to five relief pitchers. DerMargosian (1-1) was awarded the win.

The Comets went on top in the 3rd with Connor Scruggs driving in Covey for the first run of the game. Burciaga and Casey then singled to open the 5th frame before Scruggs beat out a sacrifice bunt to load the bases. An RBI single to right field from Richter scored Burciaga, then Becker drove in Casey and Scruggs with a two-out single to right centerfield.

UTD made it 5-0 in the 6th when Covey led off with a double down the rightfield line, and scored eventually scored on a Casey sacrifice fly.

The Rams got their only run of the game in the 6th, loading the bases and pushing home a runner on a ground out. But the Comets answered in the 7th to make it 6-1 when junior catcher Dylan Palmer started things with a leadoff double and scored on a Norman Cordova ground ball. Palmer figured in the final run as well, driving in Casey with the 7th run of the game with a single up the middle in the 8th frame.

UP NEXT: UTD travels to Hendrix College this weekend to play a single game Saturday against 0-3 Hendrix, then a single game Saturday and Sunday against Washington University-St. Louis. The two games against the Comets will be the first of the season for the Bears.