Jack Moss' 3-hit night highlights Aggies' upset of No. 10 Texas State, 8-4

Game #28: Texas A&M 8, No. 10 Texas State 4
Records: Texas A&M (17-11, 4-5), Texas State (23-7, 8-1)
WP: Chris Cortez (4-1)
LP: Trevis Sundgren (2-4)
Box Score

Tuesdays are for upsets.

In the midst of what’s been a topsy-turvy season, Texas A&M (17-11, 4-5) pulled off its second consecutive midweek upset over a nationally ranked team, downing No. 10 Texas State on Tuesday night, 8-4.

“I told these guys before the game we’re the underdogs in this game. They are the nationally-ranked team,” Texas A&M head coach Jim Schlossnagle said. “And it seems every time we play as the underdog, at LSU, at Texas, against these guys [Texas State], we play better. We play with an edge.

“We just got to play consistent baseball.”

A resurgence of timely hitting not only guided the Aggies to another RPI-boosting win but also nearly led first baseman Jack Moss to another historic night, finishing just a triple short of completing the cycle yet again.

The Colorado native ended 3-for-5 on the night and continues to operate at a team-leading level, besting the squad in hits (42), RBIs (22) and batting average (.389).

“Just going up and getting good pitches to hit. I think that’s the whole thing and not trying to do too much,” Moss said. “Just hunting fastballs middle of the way early and letting my eyes adjust to the off-speed.

“Just hunting heaters and trying to get balls up.”

After a head-first dive across home plate by Dylan Rock put the Aggies up early in the first inning, the Bobcats immediately answered with a two-out double to even the contest at 1-1.

The knot was blown in the third inning after Kole Kaler walked to begin the inning and was brought home on a Troy Claunch base hit through the right side. Brett Minnich then fired an RBI single up the middle to cushion the lead.

True freshman Will Johnston received his first career start but was pulled after giving up three hits and one run in 2.2 innings. But this time, the Aggies found themselves on the other side of a bullpen collapse, as Texas State ran through six pitchers.

Jacob Palisch highlighted a respectable night for A&M’s relievers, facing six batters and striking out four without issuing a walk. Chris Cortez was credited with his fourth win of the year after working 2.1 innings and allowing just one hit with a strikeout.

Brooke Homfeld, TexAgs

Jack Moss was on the verge of making history once again, falling a triple shy of his second cycle of the year.

“It’s always great to see. All through the fall and even in the spring, we see glimpses of it. We just got to be more consistent with that,” Palisch said. “Guys like Cortez and (Brad) Rudis have really shown their ability to pitch in big situations, and it’s just a matter of getting that every time and having a bunch of other guys like that step up.

“Seeing the consistency and seeing the effort that we had today, that was a really great step in the right direction.”

In the bottom of the fifth, Rock advanced to second on a balk before scoring on an error. Further sloppiness from the Bobcats subsequently resulted in Moss moving to third on a wild pitch before making it a 5-1 game.

Texas State committed three errors with each yielding a run.

A trifecta of runs in the seventh inning spearheaded by a solo shot over centerfield from Moss created enough distance to put the game out of reach despite Texas State making a late push in the final two innings.

The Aggies are now 4-1 against top-25 teams and have certainly positioned themselves in the right direction midway through the season.

“We extended the lead, and that’s against a nationally-ranked team that has been playing way better baseball than we have,” Schlossnagle said. “It’s a really good win.”

The Aggies are up for a quick turnaround as they return Thursday night to begin a three-game home set against Kentucky. First pitch is set for 8:02 p.m. CT.