Belton, Texas – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor baseball team was swept in an American Southwest Conference series for the first time this season as the Cru dropped both ends of a doubleheader to U.T.-Dallas Saturday in Belton. UMHB lost game one 16-3 before falling 3-2 in the nightcap. The Cru drops to 17-9 overall and 13-8 in ASC play with the two losses. UMHB has also lost five of its last six games. The Comets improve to 16-10 overall and 12-8 in ASC play with the Saturday sweep.
The Cru never recovered from giving up six runs in the top of the second inning in a 16-3 game one loss. The Comets managed just two hits in that inning, but took advantage of five walks, a hit batter and a UMHB error to take the lead. UTD added single runs in the third and fourth innings to push the lead to 8-0. UMHB cut it to 8-1 on Ty Johnson's sacrifice fly. The Comets exploded for six more runs in the top of the sixth with Brandon George's grand slam accounting for four of those runs. UTD added two more in the top of the seventh to stretch it to 16-1. The Cru added runs in the bottom of the inning on Josh Cruz's sacrifice fly and Gunner Vaught's RBI single, but that's as close as UMHB would get. Nick Bergmann took the loss to drop to 4-3 on the year. Tripp Reeves had two of the Cru's six hits in the game. Micah Easterling threw a complete-game, six-hitter to raise his record to 5-1 for UTD and Nolan Smith, Matt Olszewski and Pierce Fly all had three hits for the Comets.
The Cru saw a ninth-inning comeback bid fall just short in a 3-2 game two loss. UTD grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the second, but UMHB tied it on a run-scoring error in the bottom of the third. Fly ripped a two-run homer down the left field line to give the Comets a 3-1 lead in the top of the seventh. The Cru cut it to 3-2 when Zack Whiddon scored on another UTD error in the bottom of that frame. It would stay that way into the bottom of the ninth. UMHB's Chase Burrow drew a two-out walk before Dakota Parsons ripped a drive in the left-center gap. Olszewski would make a diving grab to preserve the victory with a circus catch. Brandon Clounch earned his seventh save for the Comets while Nick Cummings (1-1) earned the win with five and two-thirds innings of three-hit relief work. Cummings entered the game when Clayton Buckner was injured facing Cru leadoff hitter K.J. Stark in the bottom of the first. Jordan Mattke took the loss to fall to 2-2 despite giving up just three runs on eight hits in eight innings of work. No UMHB batter had more than one hit as Fly, Smith and Trevor Clifton all had two hits apiece for the Comets.
UMHB will return to action with a 7:00 PM non-conference home game against former ASC rival Texas Lutheran University on Tuesday at Red Murff Field. The Cru will then travel to Abilene for a three-game ASC series at Hardin-Simmons University next weekend.