ABILENE, TX (02.29.20) - The UT Dallas baseball team split a Saturday doubleheader at McMurry to take a three-game American Southwest Conference weekend series with the War Hawks, 2-1.

The Comets (now 9-3, 5-1 ASC) opened Saturday's twin bill with a 12-0 shutout performance by junior right-hander Carter Cochrane to give UTD wins in the first two games with McMurry. UTD took a 9-2 victory over the War Hawks Friday night to open the set. The Comets would close the series with a 12-5 loss.

UTD takes a short break from ASC play Tuesday night with a road game at Southwestern. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. in Georgetown.

GAME 1 - UTD 12, McMurry 0
Cochrane gave up just two hits in his first career shutout as he pitched the Comets to a 12-0 win over McMurry to open Saturday's games.

The right-hander took the field with a 5-0 lead after the Comets exploded for a big first inning with five hits, including a three-run home run by Zach Jordan. UTD opened the scoring with an RBI single by Hunter Cheek before Jordan's second long ball of the season pushed the lead to 4-0. The Comets added a final run in the 1st on an Isaiah Swann single, scoring Chandler Boyd from second.

The Comets tacked on single runs in the 2nd and 3rd before adding three runs in the fourth and two final runs in the 5th. Cheek had a solo homer in the 2nd, his first of the spring, while A.J. Liu launched a two-run shot in the 5th, also his first of the season.

Cochrane gave up a single in the first and another single in the 5th to account for two of just four War Hawk baserunners in the game. McMurry had a runner reach on an error in the 2nd and a batter hit by a pitch in the 7th. Cochrane retired the War Hawks in order in three innings.

UTD collected 14 hits with Cheek finishing 3-fo-4 with three runs scored adn two RBI. Jordan was 2-for-4 with three RBI.

GAME 2 - McMurry 12, UTD 5
The host War Hawks scored the final seven runs of the game to pull away for a 12-5 win over UTD in the series finale Saturday afternoon.

Down 3-1 early, the Comets rallied with three runs in the top of the 4th to take a 4-3 lead, but McMurry answered with two runs in the bottom of the frame to retake the lead. UTD would knot the game, 5-5, in the 5th on a Liu single up the middle, scoring Connor Allred.

The Comets opened the scoring in the top of the 1st on a Liu single to left center, scoring Jacob Perry. However, the War Hawks scored three on three hits, a walk and hit batter, in the 2nd to take the lead. In the 4th, Chandler Boyd got his first homer of the season, a two-run shot with one out, to tie the game, 3-3. Two batters later, Perry single in Deylan Moreno to give UTD the lead.

Starter Ryan Vera gave up five runs on six hits in 3.2 innings of work. Vera struck out three and walked two. Liu was 3-for-3 with two RBI while Boyd was 2-for-4.