AUSTIN, TX (05.07.14) - Junior right-hander Tyler Dauer struck out a UTD post-season record 13 hitters Wednesday night as the UT Dallas baseball team claimed a 4-2 first-round win over Sul Ross State at the 2014 American Southwest Conference Tournament.
With the win, the Comets (now 25-15) advance into the winner's bracket of the eight-team, double-elimination tournament. UTD is scheduled to meet LeTourneau, a 14-4 winner over Louisiana College, at 7 p.m. Thursday at Concordia University's Tornado Field. SRSU will face the loser of that game in an elimination contest Thursday at 1 pm.
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Dauer (7-1) retired the first 13 SRSU batters he faced, striking out five during that stretch through the first 4.1 innings. The Lobos (19-22) managed to push two runs across in the 6th with a leadoff double and two infield singles; but UTD had built a 4-0 lead by that point and Dauer was able to set down SRSU with three-up, three-down frames in the last three innings to seal the win.
His 13 total strikeouts surpassed a 2007 playoff mark of 11 recorded by former Comet ace Mark Cox against McMurry.
UTD wasted no time in taking command of the opening round game. With one out in the top of the 1st, Tanner Gandy was hit by a pitch and Nick Marti then took Lobo starter Trent Blackwater deep down the leftfield line for a two-run home run to give the Comets a 2-0 lead.
The Comets then made it 4-0 with two more runs in the 3rd. Pierce Fly led off reaching when SRSU third baseman Jesse Loter mishandled a ground ball. After a sacrifice bunt and ground out, Marti walked join Fly on base. A passed ball moved both runners into scoring position, and Brandon George lifted a shallow fly ball to right field that Lobo rightfielder Ozzie Bueno couldn't catch up to, allowing both runs to score.
In other first-round games, Mary Hardin-Baylor edged Howard Payne, 4-3, in 11 innings; and Concordia got a 5-4 walkoff win over UT Tyler in the bottom of the ninth. LeTourneau clobbered Louisiana College, 14-4, in a "run rule" win in the nightcap.