May 23—MESA, Ariz. — Washington State’s starting pitcher got shelled for five runs in the first inning. In a defining moment for the Cougars, in their most important game yet, the response was immediate and decisive.
WSU piled up eight runs in the second inning, quickly wiping away an ominous start to its Mountain West Conference tournament semifinal game Saturday against top-seeded San Diego State at Sloan Park. The second-seeded Cougars reclaimed momentum early and maintained it, and got a sparkling relief effort from a usual starter en route to a 14-9 victory over the Aztecs.
The Cougars (29-25) are one win away from earning their first NCAA Tournament bid since 2010. They’ll play for a conference tourney title at 12:05 p.m. Sunday against the winner of Saturday’s later game between SDSU and Air Force. Because the Cougs are 2-0 at the tournament, they’d play a second game Sunday afternoon if they were to drop the first matchup.
“We’re very happy. This was our goal,” WSU pitcher Luke Meyers said during a postgame interview on the Mountain West Network. “But the job isn’t finished. We’re gonna continue to go at it tomorrow, and we’re gonna win it, man.”
Meyers, usually the Cougs’ No. 3 starter, was brilliant in relief of Griffin Smith, who struggled from the jump. Smith, a senior second-team all-conference pick, allowed six consecutive SDSU batters to reach base before recording an out, resulting in a five-run first inning for the Aztecs (34-23).
The Cougs answered with their most impressive offensive inning of the season. Ryan Skjonsby provided the spark with a one-out double, then Ollie Obenour sent him home with a single before WSU runners reached on a fielding error and a walk. Trevor Smith scored two with a double. Gavin Roy followed with an RBI single. Matt Priest smacked a two-out RBI triple, then Dustin Robinson capped the onslaught with a two-out, two-run homer on the first pitch he saw, putting the Cougars ahead 8-5. It matched WSU’s highest-scoring inning of the season — the Cougs also scored eight in the sixth inning of their regular-season finale, a 12-11 home loss to Seattle U.
“I thought we were pretty resilient all year,” WSU coach Nathan Choate said on the MW Network broadcast, “and responding with the eight-spot after the first — I’m pretty proud of them.”
WSU plated two more in the third on four consecutive two-out singles. The Cougars tallied four more runs on four hits in the fourth, including a two-run single from Roy with two outs that put the Cougs ahead 14-7.
“We got punched in the mouth, but we always punch back,” Meyers said, “and I knew I just needed to give my team a chance to win.”
Meyers (4-4) did just that, holding the Aztecs in check over seven innings. The senior righty struck out seven, allowing three runs (two earned) on eight hits with no walks on a career-high 115 pitches.
After Meyers gave up a leadoff single in the ninth, things got a little dicey for the Cougs. They brought in Scott Rienguette, who induced a groundout before allowing one run across on a wild pitch, then walking one and surrendering a double to put two Aztec runners in scoring position. August Richie then came out of the pen. He struck out the first batter and walked the next to load the bases. But Richie escaped trouble, getting Mountain West Player of the Year Jake Jackson to ground out to wrap up the win.
The Cougars finished with 18 hits, matching a season high. All but three of their hits, and four of their seven walks, came in the first four innings. Three SDSU relievers held WSU scoreless on four hits over the final 5 2/3 innings. The Aztecs tallied 13 hits, but only had four over the last five innings. SDSU starter Bryce McKnight (5-2) took the loss, surrendering eight runs (five earned) on seven hits and two walks over two innings.
Seven WSU batters recorded multiple hits. Roy, a first-team all-conference honoree, went 3-for-6 with five RBIs. Fellow All-Mountain West first-teamer Max Hartman reached base five times.