Aztecs lose to Washington State in Mountain West tourney, face Air Force in elimination game
San Diego State jumped on Washington State for five runs in the first inning of Saturday afternoon’s Mountain West Championship game. It was a welcome boost for SDSU, which needed to rally from a five-run deficit a day earlier to beat New Mexico.
It was also a mirage.
Washington State answered an inning later with eight runs of its own on the way to a 14-9 victory over top-seeded SDSU at Sloan Park in Mesa, Ariz. The loss required the Aztecs (34-23) to stay on the field for an elimination game late Saturday against Air Force (27-27), which stayed alive with an 11-1 win Saturday morning over New Mexico.
Washington State (29-25) awaits the SDSU-Air Force winner for Sunday’s MW championship. The Cougars are one win away from the title. The Aztecs, if they beat Air Force, would need to beat Washington State twice Sunday to claim the title and the conference’s automatic berth to the NCAA Regionals.
SDSU catcher Zach Justice highlighted the Aztecs’ five-run first with a two-run single. Although staked to the big lead, SDSU starting pitcher Bryce McKnight soon found trouble. McKnight allowed six hits - two singles, two doubles, a triple and a homer - and the Aztecs made two errors as Washington State sent 11 batters to the plate in the second inning.
SDSU got two runs back in the bottom of the second to make it 8-7, but the Cougars scored six runs over the next two innings against reliever Carson Johnson for a 14-7 advantage. The Aztecs’ bullpen shut out Washington State over the final five innings. The deficit was too big to overcome, although SDSU rallied for a run in the ninth and had the bases loaded before Cougars closer August Richie retired the Aztecs’ Jake Jackson on an infield grounder to end the game.
SDSU had one hour to prepare for Air Force, whom the Aztecs swept in a three-game MW series last month.
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This story was originally published May 23, 2026 at 5:11 PM.