02.13.08
Comets Assault Record Book In Opener
Rebuilt UTD Squad Pounds Out 27 Hits In 17-10 Win Over Southwestern
GEORGETOWN, TX - The latest edition of the UTD baseball team was supposed to be all about pitching, but it was the Comet hitters who made an impression in a season-opening 17-10 road win at Southwestern University.
The Comets tallied 27 hits from its mostly rebuilt lineup, tying a school single-game record. New leftfielder Jared Smith (pictured at right) from New Caney, TX tied a couple of records himself (hits, total bases in a game) with a five-hit afternoon, becoming presumably the first Comet in program history to hit for the cycle. Smith, a transfer from Tyler JC, singled in the first inning to drive in UTD's first run of the game, tripled in the third, had a two-run home run in the sixth and then doubled in the eighth inning. He singled again in the ninth, driving in his fourth run of the game.
UTD also had impressive multi-hit days from rightfielder Neal Gordon (4-for-6 , 3 RBI), catcher Matt Kelly (4-for-6), second baseman Chris Biguenet (3-for-5) and DH Chris Godwin (3-for-4) as eight of the nine starters tallied at least two hits in the game. Freshman shortstop Garet Norton finished with a triple and double, but made his biggest impact in the field where he stopped a first-inning Southwestern rally with a diving stop to spark an inning-ending double play.
UTD jumped out to an early 3-0 lead in the first, but the Pirates (0-2) eventually tied the score against UTD starter Mark Cox. But reliever Jeremiah Valentine (pictured at right) shut the Pirates down with three innings of no-hit middle relief for the win, while UTD exploded for eight runs during that span to go up 11-3 after seven. Southwestern managed to get back seven runs in the final two frames to make the final score as close as it was.