Cortez saves the day as A&M rallies past Texas State on Tuesday, 10-9

Game #29: Texas A&M 10, Texas State 9
Records: Texas A&M (18-11, 3-6), Texas State (19-10, 5-4)
WP: Brandyn Garcia (1-0)
LP: Triston Dixon (1-1)
Save: Chris Cortez (1)
Box Score

On a cloudy and windy Tuesday night, calming the storm wasn’t going to be easy. 

But for Chris Cortez, it was. 

In a redeeming performance, Cortez alleviated the rising tensions among the 5,241 in attendance at Blue Bell Park as he quelled a late threat in Texas A&M’s resilient 10-9 win over Texas State.

“It was kind of a frustrating game, but this might be my favorite win of the season so far because I think we had every opportunity to cash in after the first inning,” Texas A&M head coach Jim Schlossnagle said. “Then we take a lead, and we give it up, but the guys just hung in there.”

Cortez made hanging in there look effortless.

Protecting a precarious 10-9 lead in the eighth inning with the tying run on third base, the Las Vegas native fearlessly utilized his 86-88 mph slider to earn consecutive strikeouts and bail the Aggies out from any potential drama. 

He then slammed the door completely shut in the ninth, retiring the final three batters in order for his first save of the year.

“Man, that'd be awesome to get that the rest of the season,” Schlossnagle said. 

Cortez, who was previously removed from the Sunday starting slot, was perhaps the lone bright spot on the mound for the Aggies on Tuesday.

Troy Wansing found no consolation after being repurposed into a midweek starter role. 

Command issues forced an untimely removal of the Purdue transfer from the weekend rotation for surrendering eight walks through 4.0 innings against LSU and Tennessee.

Rather than regaining his assertiveness, his struggles were aggravated even further as he lasted just two-thirds of the opening frame, conceding three hits, three walks and five runs.

Wansing’s horrific outing was punctuated by a bases-loaded walk and a grand slam by Ryan Leary that casted a 5-0 lead for the Bobcats. 

Since the beginning of Southeastern Conference play through 12 contests, the only starter to eclipse 5.0 innings is Nathan Dettmer. The team also ranks 10th in ERA (5.12) among the league.

Regardless, A&M’s ineptitude on the mound extended far beyond Wansing on Tuesday. 

Seven different pitchers were summoned in relief, with Josh Stewart finding the most stability through 2.0 innings and three strikeouts. 

That is until Chris Cortez entered in the eighth. 

“So awesome for him, because if he can get that plus-plus slider or fastball going, and then he has that disgusting slider going, he’s going to be trouble for teams in the future,” senior Austin Bost said of Cortez. 

Chris Swann, TexAgs

Led by Hunter Haas’ three hits, the Aggies outhit the Bobcats 13-10. 

The unforgiving onslaught from the Bobcats in the first inning nearly deflated the Aggies. 

But A&M’s offense hung in there, too. 

RBI singles from Brett Minnich and Trevor Werner commenced a five-spot in the bottom of the first as Jace LaViolette added a two-run double before Jordan Thompson capped off the powerful counterattack with another run-scoring single. 

A seismic swing from Hunter Haas rifled a two-run bomb that gave the Aggies their first lead of the night in the fourth.

Haas finished with his seventh three-hit night of the season. Continuing his upward trend, Jack Moss (2-for-4) extended his hit streak to 15 games, having improved his batting average from .255 to .368 in the process. 

“I definitely think things are coming together,” Bost said. “Guys are starting to come around, starting to get more hits, starting to just put more barrels in the ball, better at-bats. I like where we're at.”

Thompson then followed with a two-run homer of his own in the fifth to extend A&M’s advantage to 9-5. 

A three-run double by the Bobcats in the sixth preceded a solo shot in the seventh that put them right back into the game with a 9-9 tie. 

A collective sigh of relief was taken when Bost doubled to left center to score Moss in the bottom of the frame to give way for Cortez’s stunning finish.