Box Score

RICHARDSON - UT-Dallas' starting pitcher Mark Cox two-hit McMurry and struck out eight in a 9-2 win over the visitors at the UTD Baseball Field in Richardson Tuesday afternoon. Cox was perfect through four innings, allowed four runners with two hit batsmen and two hits from McMurry's Jeff Jackson & George Whitten. However, McMurry's offense couldn't muster up a run and Cox moved to 9-2 on the season.

Arnold Toombs picked up the loss on the mound for McMurry; he allowed five runs through three innings. The Comets then touched up McMurry's Derek McBride for three runs. Jared Smith drove in three runs for UTD and Neal Gordon & Chase Whitehead each had two RBI.

Cox pitched through the sixth inning before Jeremiah Valentine and Tim Flasik finished the game for the Comets. Derek David hit his 21st home run of the season in the loss for McMurry in the ninth inning and Ryan Bennett had an RBI single in the ninth as well. However, the 9-0 start was too much to overcome. McMurry fell to 23-14 overall and UT-Dallas moved to 20-15 on the year.

McMurry has just one American Southwest Conference West Division series left before playing in the first round of the ASC Tournament. All McMurry needs to do is take two out of three games from Sul Ross State this weekend in Alpine to win the west for the first time since 2004.

If Mary Hardin-Baylor were to lose one out of three games to Howard Payne, McMurry would need just one win to take the crown. McMurry will carry a 13-5 league record into the series.

McMurry and Sul Ross State will play a single game at 7 p.m. Friday and then close the regular season Saturday with a doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m.