April 28, 2007

Final Stats

RICHARDSON, Texas - Hardin-Simmons' baseball team saw its season come to an end with a 9-7 loss to the University of Texas at Dallas, Saturday afternoon at the UTD Baseball Complex in Richardson.

The Comets scratched for a run in the first inning. Batting as the visiting team, but playing at home Brett Rosen struck out swinging to lead off the game but the ball was low and hit the plate and bounced over the screen to let him advance. He moved to second on a wild pitch, to third on a ground out and scored on Jake Jackson single up the middle.

HSU took a brief 2-1 lead when Brad Coleman and Michael Simpson had back-to-back run scoring singles in the third inning. UTD came back with a single runs in the fourth and fifth innings with run scoring singles. The Comets made it 6-2 with three runs on four hits in the sixth inning. There were two bunt singles, a hit batter, a wild pitch and a near triple play in the inning. Putman had a solo home run in the seventh to make it 7-2.

The Cowboys came back with four runs in the seventh. Coleman had an RBI double, then Ryan Stepp, Danny Ruth and Taylor Lamar had three straight run-scoring singles. In the eighth, UTD scored a pair of runs on a two-run home run by Trent Elizondo to push the margin to 9-6.

HSU had another threat in the eighth inning when Trevor Bunte reached on an error, Taylor Gibbs walked and Blake Koch reached on another error to load the bases with no one out. Coleman hit a sacrifice fly to score Bunte. Simpson then singled through the left side, but Gibbs had to hold at third base and Ryan Stepp ripped a ball that appeared headed down the line for extra bases, but Mike Cargile made a lunging backhand catch and Danny Ruth flied to right to end the threat.

The Cowboys could not rally in the ninth to close their season. Dalton Rucker took the loss for HSU on the mound and Drew Waggoner won for UTD.

Coleman, Lamar and Simpson all seniors had two hits each in their final game. They also played together in high school at Cooper and were three of 10 seniors on the team. UTD (31-9) will host the ASC Tournament next weekend.