RICHARDSON, TX (05.05.1) - The No. 14 UT Dallas baseball team held on for an 11-8 win over Howard Payne to open the American Southwest Conference Championship Tournament Friday afternoon at the UTD Baseball Field.

TOURNAMENT CENTRAL

The second-seeded Comets (32-9) have advanced in the ASC's Red Bracket and will next face No. 3 seed East Texas Baptist at 1 p.m. Saturday in a winner's bracket game. A win Saturday and UTD would then move on to the Bracket Final game at 1 p.m. Sunday.

Junior right-hander Jamie Andriot (10-0) became the first-ever 10-game winner in Comet history as he earned the victory in Friday's tournament opener for UTD. Andriot was not his sharpest, but pitched deep enough to earn his record-breaking win. He would toss 6.1 innings, giving up six runs on 10 hits, striking out four HPU hitters. Jonathan May took over for Andriot in the 7th before giving way to Comet closer Tristin DerMargosian, who collected his third save of the season with a scoreless 9th.

The Comets staked Andriot plenty of early run support to as UTD secured a 9-1 advantage after four frames only to watch the seventh-seeded Yellow Jackets rally late. Barry Casey finished the outing 3-for-3 with two runs scored and two RBI, reaching base five times, while Josh Covey was 3-for-4 with four runs scored and Michael Morton was 3-for-5.

UTD struck first in the bottom of the 1st with an RBI single up the middle by Casey, scoring Covey. With the game tied, 1-1, in the 3rd, the Comets regained the lead with two runs on RBI singles by Casey and Luke Richter, but left the bases loaded as HPU starter Jonathan George avoided a big inning. George was not as fortunate in the 4th as the Comets erupted for six runs on six hits and pair of errors, chasing the HPU starter with two outs in the frame.

With the bases loaded and one out in the 4th, the Comets started their barrage with a sacrifice fly by Connor Scruggs, scoring Covey. UTD then added RBI singles from Richter and Mitch Barati to snag a 6-1 lead an force the pitching change. Two pitches later, Morton used a single up the middle to plate Richter, and Rodney Corbin added a two-run single to push the UTD lead to eight runs.

The Yellow Jackets (18-21) would then open four straight innings with doubles as HPU scored seven runs from the 5th to the 8th frames. UTD did, however, add a single run in each the 5th and 7th, both on wild pitches, to hold off the rally.

In other Red Bracket action, ETBU opened the weekend with an 8-7 win over No. 6-seeded Hardin-Simmons, thanks to walk-off, bases-loaded walk. HSU and HPU will square off at 10 a.m. Saturday in an elimination contest. Top-seeded Texas-Tyler is currently hosting the Blue Bracket of the ASC Tournament with the two bracket winners facing off May 12-13 for a best-of-three series for the ASC title at the highest remaining seed.