BC Softball’s Tatiana Cortez Hits Walk-Off Home Run On Senior Day As Father Recovers From Being Injured In The Line Of Duty

Some sports stories just have so many pieces to the puzzle that is seems impossible not to be fiction. Sunday’s Boston College softball game at Shea Field is definitely one of those stories.

Where to begin?

It was Senior Day for Boston College. Four Eagles, including C/3B Tatiana Cortez, were celebrating with their families. Cortez, however, had someone very important missing from her cheering section.

Tatiana’s father, Ronny, a 24-year veteran of the Houston Police Department, was critically injured in the line of duty about two months ago. Cortez was shot multiple times during a burglary investigation and is still recovering from his injuries, meaning he was unable to make it to Chestnut Hill for his daughter’s Senior Day.

So, over a hundred of his police brothers and sisters showed up to support his daughter in his place.

John Quackenbos, BC Athletics

BC Softball dubbed the afternoon “Back The Blue Day” in support of Cortez and her family, and the afternoon sure gave the men and women in blue — as well as everyone in maroon and gold — something to cheer about.

The Eagles were down 6-1 at one point before mounting a wild comeback that would have been enough of a story on its own. In the 5th inning, Cortez popped a two run home run to get the Eagles withing striking distance at 6-4, and Junior Jordan Chimento went back-to-back in the very next at bat to get the Eagles even closer at 6-5 with just two innings left to play.

The BC lineup rolled right back around to Cortez in the bottom of the 7th and final inning. Junior Chloe Sharabba singled to open the inning to put Cortez at bat with the tying run on, and, well, just watch:

The opposite field blast lifted the Eagles to a thrilling walk-off 7-6 win.

Just... incredible.

The Eagles aren’t just ticking off the rest of the season’s games, either. Boston College sits at second in the ACC standings with just four games left in the regular season. After that, they’ll be just three wins away from an ACC championship.

What a wild afternoon for BC softball, and for Cortez in particular. Cortez’s walk-off in front of over a hundred police officers there in place of her father has to rank up there on the list of best BC athletics sports stories of the last several seasons.

Hopefully the senior will have several games added on to her college career after this weekend!