RICHARDSON, TX (03.20.18) - The two teams combined for 36 earned runs on 44 hits as the UT Dallas baseball team fell to NAIA-foe Texas Wesleyan, 20-16, Tuesday afternoon in non-conference play.

The Comets fell to 11-11 on the season after their third straight loss and will now take a week off before hosting Southwestern in another midweek, non-conference game next Tuesday, March 27. First pitch is 3 p.m. at the UTD Baseball Field.

The visiting Rams (19-7) took an early lead, scoring 12 runs over the first four innings of play. UTD did, however, slow down the Rams with a six-run 2nd inning and then slowly chipped away at the TWU lead, drawing within a run, 14-13, after the 7th. However, the Rams closed out the game with a pair of three-run innings to pull away for the victory.

The Comets exploded in the 2nd for six runs on six hits, but would leave the bases loaded as they drew within a run, 7-6, heading to the 3rd. Highlighting UTD's 2nd frame was a three-run triple by Ryan Burciaga, forcing a TWU pitching change. Barry Casey followed up with a single to right, scoring Burciaga for the sixth and final run for the Comets in the inning, despite collecting two more hits after Casey's single. Down 12-6 in the 4th, UTD got a two-run homer from Thomas Craig, his first of the season, to draw back within four, but the Rams added two more in the 6th to regain a six-run cushion, 14-8.

In the bottom of the 6th, the Comets scored four times on six hits, but again left the bases loaded as they could only cut the TWU lead to 14-12. UTD used RBI doubles from Craig and Peyton Becker before tacking two more runs on singles by Isaiah Swann and Casey.  The Comets added another run in the 7th on a Josh Covey single up the middle, scoring Rodney Corbin, but would leave the go-ahead run on base.

After TWU added six more runs over the final two innings, the Comets would bring the tying run to the on-deck circle after plating three in bottom of the 9th. After back-to-back singles from Craig and Corbin to open the frame, Swann would plate the first run of the inning with a single to center. Burciaga later laced a single up the middle to plate both Corbin and Swan to draw within three runs and the Comets got another hit before the game ended on a strikeout with runners on first and third.

The Comets ended with a season-high 21 hits off of five TWU pitchers, scoring on all but one. UTD's 16 runs scored was also a season best. Luke Richter was 4-for-6 as one of six Comets with multi-hit performances. Craig was 3-for-5 with four runs scored and three RBI while Burciaga and Corbin were each 3-for-6. Casey matched a UTD single-game record with seven at bats, finishing 3-for-7.

UTD starter Drew Thompson (0-1) suffered the loss after giving up seven runs on eight hits with three strikeouts in 2.0 innings of work. The Comets used six pitchers in the marathon contest.