Texas A&M Bullpen Breaks Bad Habit In Win Over Tarleton State
Texas A&M's bullpen has been its crutch to getting over the hump in the last two series. On Wednesday, it was the answer.
Freshman reliever Chris Cortez took the mound and became "Mr. Reliable" as the Aggies picked up a 4-1 win over Tarleton State. The Aggies (8-4) saw their bullpen strikeout 14 of the final 15 batters to close out the night at Olsen Field.
"Those guys were lights out tonight," A&M third baseman Kole Kaler said. "They came in and pounded the strike zone, and it was really awesome to see all those guys just compete with their stuff."
A&M starter Khristian Curtis threw 4.1 innings and allowed one run on seven hits. Teh Texans (3-9) found success on Curtis' final pitch thanks to an RBI double from first baseman Colby Seltzer to tie the game at 1.
Manager Jim Schlossnagle wasn't going to wait to blow the lead and went to the pen early. Cortez (2-0) delivered the final two outs to keep the game tied. He'd pitch 1.2 hitless innings and struck out two, seeing his speed hover around 95 mph.
“I have always been like that and did not want to be known as the guy who threw balls," Cortez said. "I know that with my ability, I can throw strikes and I just changed my mindset and I just go in there and try to make people hit the ball. That is all I try to do.”
Four relievers combined to keep the Texans from scoring in the final 4.2 frames. It was a breath of fresh air given that A&M's bullpen allowed 13 runs over the weekend in the Frisco Classic.
Rawley Hector pounded the strike zone to deliver a clean seventh. Joseph Menefee struck out two Texans in the eighth. Robert Hogan closed the ninth by striking out the side and pick up his second save of the year.
"It was super important to get (Joseph) Moo (Menefee) and (Robert) Hogan back in the game," Schlossnagle said. "It did not go the way any of us wanted to on Sunday, and Menefee has been a big part of this program for a while.
"They did a nice job, and they need to do a nice job.”
Offensively, the Aggies tallied only six hits, yet made the most of them. Center fielder Logan Britt broke the tie in the bottom of the fourth with a solo home run over center. Kaler went 2 of 3 batting with an RBI on a bases-loaded walk. He also scored a run after a throwing error to first base.
Kaler continues to find success as the leadoff hitter for A&M's lineup. Entering the weekend, he currently owns an on-base percentage of .365 and has walked 12 times.
"Everybody wants to get a hit, I want to get hits too that does not change," Kaler said. "Just sticking with the process and trying to stick with my routines and hopefully some will fall."
A&M returns to Olsen Field Friday for a three-game series against Santa Clara. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m.
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