JACKSON, MS (04.08.17) - A day after dropping the first game of an American Southwest Conference series for the first time this season, the UT Dallas baseball team rebounded with a doubleheader sweep of the Belhaven Blazers Saturday afternoon to claim the series.

UTD (22-7, 11-4 ASC) held off the Blazers, 3-1, in the Saturday opener, then powered their way to an 14-4 win in the second game, ending the game by the "getaway game run rule" in eight innings. With the sweep, the Comets stayed within reach of one of the ASC's top two seeds in the standings with an ASC home series against Louisiana College scheduled next weekend. The Comets will play a non-conference Tuesday game against Concordia Texas, also at home.

GAME 1: UT DALLAS 3, BELHAVEN 1

Junior transfer Ruben Renteria kept his record spotless, hurling a seven-inning 3-1 win over Belhaven to even the series. Renteria went the distance, giving up just five hits and striking out six Blazers. Belhaven pieced multiple hits together in just one inning and that pushed a single run home in the 6th inning. But Renteria got out of that one-out jam with a strikeout and ground ball, then finished off the win with a pair of ground balls in the 7th.

UTD got on the board first in the 3rd inning. Michael Morton led off with a single, moved to second base on a sacrifice, and came home on a Ryan Burciaga double to left center. The Comets then made it 2-0 in the next frame. Mitch Barati started the inning with a double, and came around to score on a wild pitch. Another leadoff hit - a single from Barati - set the stage for a bases-loaded RBI on a groundout by Morton.

Barati and Morton both finished the game 2-for-3 with a run scored.

GAME 2: UT DALLAS 14, BELHAVEN 4

The Comets jumped out to a 9-0 lead in just the first three innings of the second game of the doubleheader, then added three runs in the top of the 8th to end the series finale one inning early with a 14-4 win.

UTD got a much-needed quality start from junior Cole Hanson (3-0), who surrendered just one hit in the first five innings of the game, striking out four along the way. After the bullpen and a couple of defensive miscues gave up four runs in the 6th and 7th innings to prevent the game from ending any earlier, freshman Junior Escobar put out the fire with the bases loaded in the 7th, then pitched a perfect 1-2-3 8th inning to end the game.

The Comets pounded seven Blazer pitchers for 17 hits and took advantage of 10 walks. Ryan Burciaga, Barry Casey and Luke Richter had three hits each, scoring four runs and driving in six. Isaiah Swann and Connor Scruggs also finished with double-digit hits.

UTD went up 2-0 before the Blazers ever got to the plate. A pair of walks and a single loaded the bases for Scruggs and Richter to drive in 1st-inning runs. In the 3rd.

The Comets then blew the game open with a seven-run 3rd inning. Burciaga, Casey and Scruggs all singled to start the inning, and Richter brought home the third run of the game with an RBI single. After a walk loaded the bases again, Swann singled to left center, and a Belhaven error on the ensuing play cleared the bases for four runs. Josh Covey then singled and came home on a Burciaga RBI single.

UTD made it 9-0 in the 5th with a Patch Healey leadoff single. He eventually came around on another Burciaga RBI single. Casey then forced in a run with a bases-loaded walk.

After missing a chance to end the game in the 7th, UTD put the game out of reach in the top of the 8th. Baratti led off with a walk and Richter followed with a single. Both scored on ground ball outs. Casey then picked up another RBI with his second bases-loaded walk of the game, setting the stage for Escobar to get his shut-down 8th inning.