Three homeruns, six hits, six RBI’s, eight runs scored, and a 0.667 batting average. That was the total bill Johnstone racked up after the Cougs swept SDSU in their first home series in Mountain West Conference play.
The 5–foot–11, 194–pound, redshirt junior and WSU longball leader kicked off the series with a two–run homer to right field in the fourth inning of the first game. The following night Johnstone wasted no time launching a ball over the right field wall in the second inning to start the scoring.
Two homers in two nights was not enough for the WSU right fielder as he decided to pick up another longball over the same right field fence to walk off the second matchup at 13–3 in the eighth inning.
Although he did not have a homer in the third game of the weekend, Johnstone did pick up a double in the third inning, driving in Ricco Longo and starting a rally that gave the Cougs the 4–3 lead.
Not only did Johnstone pick up clutch hits, but his offensive performance sparked the rest of the lineup to three double-digit scoring performances over the weekend.
The three wins against SDSU, an MWC opponent, helped the Cougars continue their positive momentum. Since their 0-8 start, the team has gone 9-6, improving to an overall record of 9-15.
The team batting average for WSU sits at an even 0.300 ranking them second in the conference. Junior Max Hartman sits at second place in the conference with a .400 rate, and leads the Mountain West for hits at 36. Johnstone has found himself tied with Hartman for first place in runs scored each with 25 this year. Essentially, the bats for this Cougar squad dominate the podium in almost every offensive category in their division.
With Johnstone winning player of the week, Hartman dominating the MWC for hitting, and the Cougar starting pitching core hitting its stride, Cougar fans should expect to see this team continue to advance up the standings in the MWC. WSU was predicted to finish third in the conference, but with the offensive production coming from up and down the lineup, the Cougars have a shot to dominate the Mountain West and potentially snag that number one spot.
After the three–game sweep of SDSU, the Cougar’s conference record moves up to 4–2, ranking them third overall in the MWC. They look up at second-place New Mexico and first-place San Jose State who the Cougs play at home on April 4, 5, and 6.
After the three–game sweep of SDSU, the Cougar’s conference record moves up to 4–2, ranking them third overall in the MWC. They look up at second-place New Mexico and first-place San Jose State who the Cougs play at home on April 4, 5, and 6.
