Aztecs Toppled by Washington State in Mountain West Championship Game

MESA, Ariz. – Top-seeded San Diego State fell short in its pursuit of postseason glory on Sunday after dropping a 14-4 decision in seven innings to No. 2 seed Washington State in the title game of the 2026 Mountain West Championship at Sloan Park.

The Aztecs forced a winner-take-all showdown after notching a 9-2 triumph over the Cougars earlier in the day but could not replicate the feat in the nightcap.

With the loss, SDSU finishes the year with a 36-24 ledger, marking the team’s best record since 2018. Conversely, WSU (30-26) earns the Mountain West’s automatic bid to NCAA regional competition next weekend.

After cruising through most of the opener, the Aztecs found themselves in a seesaw affair with the Cougars in game two. SDSU nursed a 4-3 lead at the end of four innings before WSU scored the final 11 runs of the contest to likely end the Aztecs’ season.

Jake Jackson and Tyce Peterson homered for the Scarlet and Black, tying for team-high honors with 15 round-trippers on the year. Jackson belted a solo shot in the first, while Peterson launched a towering leadoff bomb in the second. Following Peterson’s blast, the Aztecs received an RBI double from Max Farrell, who later scored on a wild pitch in the fourth.

Conversely, six Cougars collected multiple hits, including three by Max Hartman (4 RBIs), who smacked a three-run homer in the seventh, while Gavin Roy (3 RBIs, 3 runs) Ryan Skjonsby (3 RBIs), Dustin  Robinson (2 RBIs) finished with two hits apiece.

Reliever Scott Rienguette (3-2), WSU’s third pitcher of the game, earned the victory after keeping the Aztecs off the scoreboard for the final 3 2/3 innings, offsetting one hit and one walk with six strikeouts.

Meanwhile, SDSU employed six pitchers for the contest, including Connor Abadie (1-2), who was charged with the loss after surrendering the Cougars’ three go-ahead runs in the fifth.

Earlier on Sunday, the Aztecs rode the arm of starter Drew Talavs, who gave up three hits without a walk in 5 2/3 scoreless innings while notching five strikeouts to even his record at 4-4 on the year. Talavs retired 14 straight batters in one stretch before giving up an infield single to Trevor Smith in the sixth.

Despite yielding two runs on three hits and a walk, Aidan Russell earned his sixth save of the year after tossing the final 3 1/3 innings, highlighted by four strikeouts. On the flip side, WSU starter Brian Blatter (1-2) was saddled with the loss after yielding three runs (two earned) on three hits and a walk in five innings.

SDSU plated two runs in the first when Dawson Santana was hit by a pitch and took third on Jackson’s single to center before racing home on Jabin Trosky’s RBI groundout. Moments later, Jackson crossed the plate when Farrell reached on a fielding error at shortstop.

The Aztecs extended their advantage to 3-0 in the third when Santana drew a leadoff walk and ultimately scored on Trosky’s sacrifice fly to center.

The score remained unchanged until the seventh when the Scarlet and Black scored four runs on two hits, capitalizing on three walks and two hit batters. With one out, Anthony Marnell IV was struck by a pitch and circled the bases on an opposite field double to left by Zane Kelly, who subsequently scored on Santana’s single up the middle.  Moments later, Trosky and Farrell drew bases-loaded walks to give the Aztecs a commanding 7-0 lead.

WSU avoided the shutout in the eighth when Ollie Obenour drew a leadoff walk and later crossed the plate on Kyler Northrup’s sacrifice fly. Then in the ninth, Skjonsby plated Priest on an RBI single to left.

In the interim, Marnell blasted his fourth homer of the year, a two-run shot over the opposite field fence in left, driving in Peterson, who previously reached on an error.

Jackson collected three of SDSU’s six hits, while Trosky totaled three RBIs without the benefit of a hit.

With his totals in both games on Sunday, Jackson extended his hitting streak to 12 straight games and has reached base safely in 25 consecutive starts.