Sep 20, 2025; Pullman, Washington, USA; Washington State Cougars flag waves outside Gesa Field at Martin Stadium before Apple Cup against the Washington Huskies. Mandatory Credit: James Snook-Imagn Images | James Snook-Imagn Images

For the first time since 2010, the Washington State Cougars are going to the NCAA Baseball Tournament after winning the Mountain West Tournament.

WSU lost the first game of the championship to the San Diego State Aztecs earlier in the day, 9-2, then rebounded with an emphatic 14-4 mercy rule victory to clinch the title.

The Cougars trailed 4-3 heading into the fifth inning of game two, then tallied three off a pair of doubles. They tacked on one more in the sixth before exploding for seven in the seventh inning, punctuated by a three-run dagger home run from Max Hartman.

WSU polished off their drubbing of the Aztecs with a 5-4-3 double play to send them into the tournament for the first time in 16 years.

After winning their way into the championship game, the Cougars entered Sunday needing to just win one of two possible games to keep their season alive. In game one, the Aztecs jumped on Cougar starter Brock Blatter for two early runs in the first inning and one more in the third. Though Blatter was able to right the ship to throw a solid five innings, allowing only two earned runs, the Cougar offense couldn’t pick him up. Aztec pitchers Drew Talavs and Aidan Russell combined to throw the full nine innings and didn’t allow a run till WSU picked up a single run in the eighth and ninth innings. By that time, the Aztecs had picked up four more runs in the eighth to blow the game wide open and force a do-or-die second game.

In game two, WSU plated two in the first inning off a Matt Priest ground-rule double and a Dustin Robinson fielder’s choice. But just as quickly as they took the lead, the Aztecs answered. In the bottom half of the inning, Jake Jackson crushed a one-out home run to left to cut the lead in half. Three batters later, Max Farrell nearly left the yard too with a towering fly ball that hit off the center field wall and scored the runner from third. WSU loaded the bases in the second inning and retook the lead on a four-pitch walk to Hartman. But yet again, the Aztecs answered quickly as Tyce Peterson clubbed a lead-off home run to tie the game back up at three.

Max Farrell led off the bottom of the fourth with a full-count walk, then stole second and moved into third on a groundout to the right side. He crossed home on the next batter after a wild pitch. The Aztecs continued to threaten in the fourth after a pair of walks and a hit-by-pitch to set the table for Jake Jackson. WSU reliever Scott Rienguette danced out of trouble by striking out Jackson to keep it a one-run deficit.

In need of a rally, Gavin Roy led off the fifth with a single, and Hartman got hit by a pitch. With one out and two on, Robinson delivered a double into right center to score Roy from third and move Hartman into third. After a pitching change, Ryan Skjonsby stroked a two-strike double into left center to score both Hartman and Robinson to give WSU the 6-3 lead. WSU extended the lead to 7-3 in the sixth inning on a sac-fly.

The seventh inning is where WSU let out 16 years of frustration. Skjonsby got the party started with a single to left, and Ollie Obenour reached on a fielding error by pitcher Simon Lemke. Cam Macleod brought Skjonsby home with a single, and Northrop moved the runners into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt. Trevor Smith kept the line moving with a double down the right-field line to score two more and blow the game open at 10-4. After a Roy walk, Hartman sent his blast out to right that more-or-less punched WSU’s ticket back to the dance in emphatic fashion. Skjonsby brought in his third RBI of the day on a sac-fly that pushed WSU into mercy rule territory at 14-4. Rienguette finished the job with a clean seventh, and the dog pile ensued on the Sloan Park mound.

WSU will now head to the regionals round. They will find out exactly where on Monday morning at 9 a.m. during the NCAA Baseball Selection Show.