ABILENE, Texas – Hardin-Simmons' baseball fell 9-6 in the first game of its weekend series with UT Dallas on Wednesday night at Hunter Field.
 
HSU scored a run in the first inning when Quincy McGraw led off the game with a triple and Baylan Vaughan brought him home on an RBI groundout.
 
The Cowboys made the lead 3-0 in the third inning when HSU scored a run on a Layden White groundout and another run scored on the back end of a double play.
 
UTD scored a single run in the fourth and tied the game in the fifth on an RBI triple and a groundout.
 
HSU came right back in the bottom of the fifth inning with a three-run home run for Justin Blancaflor, his fifth of the season.
 
Trent McCown led off the sixth for UTD with a home run to left and the Comets took the lead in the seventh with three more runs, one an RBI double by Kole Kinninson and a two-run double by Nico Fernandez. UTD added a pair of insurance runs in the eighth inning.
 
Blancaflor and Calvillo each had a pair of hits for the Cowboys. Kinnison led the Comets with three hits.
 
Starter Dylan Collins went seven innings for UTD to improve to 5-0 on the year. He allowed six runs on nine hits. Ethan Vandament worked a scoreless eighth and Jake Jennings had a 1-2-3 ninth inning for his sixth save.
 
Freshman Jack Kimsey started for the Cowboys and went five and two-third innings and allowed just three earned runs on five hits. Jacob Posey relieved Kimsey and allowed three runs to take the loss. Javin Zoolkoski and Brady Bennett both worked out of the bullpen for HSU.
 
The game does not count in the conference standings as the Comets are reclassifying to Division II. HSU is now 7-21 on the year and the Comets are 27-4.
 
The teams will play a doubleheader, starting at noon on Thursday.
 
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