Aztecs Race Past WSU to Clinch MW Tourney Berth

 

SAN DIEGO – San Diego State clinched a spot in next week’s Mountain West Championship with a big 15-2 run-rule victory over Washington State in seven innings on Friday at Tony Gwynn Stadium.

With the win, the Aztecs (18-37, 13-16 MW) took over sole possession of fifth place in the conference standings after losses by San José State and Air Force, which are now tied for sixth, as the top six teams advance to the MW tournament, scheduled for May 21-24, in Mesa, Arizona.

SDSU scored in every inning on Friday and maintained a 17-8 advantage in hits to secure the series victory against the Cougars (18-35, 11-18 MW).

Jonathan Smith (3 RBIs), Finley Bates (2 RBIs) and Jake Jackson tied for game-high honors with three hits and three runs each, while Nevan Noonan (2 RBIs), Evan Sipe (2 RBIs) and Zane Kelly also collected two hits apiece to help pace the Aztec offense.

Seven of SDSU’s 17 hits went for extra bases including triples by Bates and Smith, with the latter falling one home run short of the cycle.

Not to be outdone, starting pitcher Xavier Cardenas III (1-5) earned his first win of the season after allowing just one run on six hits and no walks with eight strikeouts in six innings before giving way to Aidan Russell to start the seventh.

Cardenas struck out the side in the first, stranding Max Hartman, who led off with a single and advanced two bases on a failed pickoff attempt.

On the flip side, Griffin Smith (5-6) absorbed the loss for WSU after surrendering eight runs on nine hits and a walk in just 3 1/3 innings, while four relievers yielded a combined seven runs on eight hits and five walks over the remainder of the contest.

The Aztecs set the tone early in the first inning thanks to Noonan’s RBI double and Daniel Arambula’s run-scoring single, which gave the host school a 2-0 lead it would not relinquish.

The SDSU juggernaut built additional momentum in the second courtesy of Bates’ two-run triple, which plated Jackson and Sipe, who previously reached on infield singles, while Smith contributed a sacrifice fly shortly thereafter.

The Aztecs continued their aggressiveness on the basepaths in third when Arambula walked and motored around to score on Kelly’s double to the right-field corner, increasing the Scarlet and Black advantage to 6-0.

SDSU plated two markers in both the fourth and fifth innings before erupting for five runs on five hits and two errors in the sixth to close out its scoring bonanza for the night.

Bates singled and scored on Smith’s triple to highlight the Aztec fourth, while Sipe and Smith ripped consecutive RBI doubles later in the fifth.

SDSU sent 10 men into the plate in a wild sixth inning, which included sacrifice flies by Sipe and Xavier Farnum, as well as run-scoring singles by Noonan and CJ Moran.

The Cougars avoided the shutout after Logan Johnstone and Will Cresswell smacked consecutive doubles in the sixth, while Luke Thiele raced home from second in the seventh when Gavin Roy’s single was bobbled in left field.

UP NEXT
San Diego State wraps up its regular-season schedule on Saturday with the series finale against Washington State, starting at noon PT.

Prior to their clash with the Cougars, the Aztecs will conduct a special ceremony to recognize the accomplishments of Chris Canada, Evan Sipe, Jonathan Smith, Omar Serrano and student manager for baseball operations Armita Modaressi to highlight Senior Day festivities.

Fans are encouraged to arrive early at Tony Gwynn Stadium, as traffic around campus parking structures is expected to be impacted by SDSU commencement ceremonies at Viejas Arena.