Jace LaViolette's Multi-HR Outing Secures Texas A&M Victory Over Incarnate Word
A midweek game but a weekend feel.
That's how Texas A&M baseball must have felt Tuesday afternoon when they took to the field at Blue Bell Park.
Behind a two-home run day from Jace LaViolette, the No. 8 Aggies coasted their way to a 9-3 win over Incarnate Word. But the sophomore didn't care much about the long balls sent over the right-field wall.
His thoughts were on the two strikeouts that cost him a perfect line.
"The homers are cool,” LaViolette said. “I’m still not happy with myself with the two other at-bats today.”
LaViolette blasted a solo shot in the first to pick up his fourth homer of the new campaign. Following back-to-back strikeouts, he entered the box looking to tack on another RBI.
Ethan Mito/Texas A&M Athletics
The preseason All-American connected with a high fastball for a 382-foot blast into the bleachers. Last season, LaViolette sent 21 balls into the stands for an A&M freshman record.
"I just try to hit the fastball," said LaViolette. "Be on time for the fastball and adjust as the game comes to you. If you're not on top of the fastball, this game gets really hard really fast."
Missing the heater could be the difference in a win or loss. The Cardinals found out that out the hard way behind 5.2 quality innings from right-hander Chris Cortez.
Last season, Cortez struggled with his command. His ERA peaked at 7.34 ERA after a promising first year. His starts went down, and his time in the bullpen went up.
Under Max Weiner, Cortez seemed to be back in his 2022 College World Series form, fanning eight batters while allowing two runs to cross home plate. After a couple of Cardinals reached base early, the Las Vegas native settled in and never looked back.
“I feel when I go deeper into games, I start to calm down more and get in my groove,” Cortez said.
Incarnate Word jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second off an RBI double from designated hitter Cameron Caley. After that, Cortez seemed locked in.
After forcing a popout, Cortez pitched three innings of scoreless ball. Two players reached base on a single and a hit-by-pitch. In the process, Cortez struck out three before being pulled for Evan Aschenbeck.
“Last year, we would have walked seven or eight guys, someone would have gotten one up in the wind, and that would’ve been a dogfight the rest of the night," said A&M coach Jim Schlossnagle.
The newcomers might still be adjusting to live games at Blue Bell, but they've found a rhythm against opponents in the box. Stanford transfer Braden Montgomery blasted a solo shot to right-center in the third to extend A&M's lead to two. Columbia transfer Hayden Schott followed two innings later with a blast to right field to tack on another run.
Michigan transfer Ted Burton tacked on two with a 419-foot home run over the left-center field wall in the seventh. Freshman Gavin Grahovac, who's become a staple at the leadoff role, finished 2-of-5 with a pair of RBI in the second.
While the No. 9 hole is often known for the "last-man" mantra, Cal State Northridge transfer Ali Camarillo has been consistently getting back to the top of the lineup. After going 2-of-3 in Sunday's 10-0 win over McNeese State, Camarillo reached base four times and scored twice
Camarillo currently leads all A&M (4-0) hitters with a .538 batting average through four games and has been exceptional in place of former shortstop Hunter Haas with the glove.
“He’s super competitive," Schlossnagle said of Camarillo. "You see how he fights through at-bats. He finds ways to get hits even though he doesn’t hit the ball incredibly hard, but he uses the whole field. "
The Aggies return to Bell Bell Park Friday to kickstart a three-game series against Wagner. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m.