ABILENE, TX (02.28.20) - The UT Dallas baseball team remained perfect in conference play as the Comets handled McMurry, 9-2, Friday night to open a three-game American Southwest Conference road series.

The win pushed the Comets to 7-3 overall and 4-0 in ASC play, now riding a four-game winning streak. UTD and McMurry will close the three-game set with a 1 p.m. doubleheader Saturday at Walt Driggers Field.

Junior right-hander Blake Birdwell pitched into the 8th as his offense scored in six innings to open the series with the lop-sided victory. Birdwell (2-1) struck out six while limiting the host War Hawks to two runs on six hits in 7.1 innings of work. Orion Drymond took over with one out in the 8th and closed the game with four strikeouts in 1.2 innings.

The Comets opened the scoring in the top of the 1st on an A.J. Liu groundout that scored lead-off hitter Jacob Perry. UTD added two more runs in the 3rd, on a passed ball and a sacrifice fly, to take a 3-0 lead. Zach Jordan then belted his first home run of the season with one out in the 4th, a solo shot, to push the Comet cushion to 4-0.

After two scoreless frames, UTD added to its lead with two runs in the both the 7th and 8th innings to extend its lead to 8-0. In the 7th, the Comets took advantage off a wild pitch to score their first run of the inning before Chandler Boyd singled in Hunter Cheek. UTD then got sacrifice flies from both Jordan and Boyd in the 8th.

The War Hawks (now 2-8-1, 0-4 ASC) avoided the shutout with two runs in the bottom of the 8th. Liu completed the scoring with a two-out RBI single to right in the top of the 9th, scoring Perry.

Boyd was 2-for-3 with two RBI while Liu and Connor Allred each finished 2-for-5.