BROWNWOOD, Texas - The Howard Payne University baseball team dug its self out of a early deficit but fell in the end 6-4 to the University of Texas at Dallas Thursday afternoon in at Don Shepard Park.

After a six run top of the first for UT Dallas, the Yellow Jackets settled down and kept the Comets scoreless the rest of the game.

Howard Payne used a four-run bottom of the seventh to pull within two giving themselves a chance in the closing innings.

In the seventh, Cliff Lunceford singled up the middle to score Jay Holland, Then a David Groves walk with the bases loaded brought home Jacob Rodriguez. Finally, a Blake Null single up the middle plated Lunceford and John Killough to bring the score to 6-4 UTD.

Cliff Lunceford was 2-for-4 at the plate with a double and a RBI. Jay Holland was 2-for-3 at the plate with.a double. Blake Null drove in two runs.

Dylan Vilaros recorded the loss in the start for HPU. allowing six runs on 14 hits and striking out three in 6.0 innings of work. Wesley Smith threw 2.2 innings of relief allowing just one hit and Evan Rodriguez went the final 1/3 inning.

Howard Payne is now 14-9 overall and 3-7 in American Southwest Conference play. UT Dallas stands at 12-11 overall and 7-3 in league action. The two teams will finish the series on Friday with a double-header starting at 1:00 pm.