For five straight games the Cougs have been hungry for a win and left with empty stomachs. A loss at UC Davis, three losses at Fresno State and an extra innings heart-breaker against Gonzaga made a five-game Cougar losing streak.
With Air Force flying into town for a three-game MWC weekend series, the Cougs wasted no time setting the tone.
The game was kicked off with junior Ryan Skjonsby grounding out to drive in a run and break the ice in the first inning. Redshirt junior Luke Thiele followed it up by searing a line drive into left field, scoring a pair and giving the Cougs the 3-0 lead.
Air Force responded in the second with a sacrifice fly, but freshman Ollie Obenour quicky erased it a half-inning later with a sacrafice fly of his own.
Air Force sophomore Luke Elmore drove in a run with a single in the sixth, narrowing the Cougars’ lead and making it a 4-2 ballgame.
The Cougs clawed the run back immediately in the seventh with senior Will Cresswell hitting a sac fly to bring home a run.
After 7 1/3 innings pitched for WSU, junior Luke Meyers took a seat after only allowing three runs, one walk and five strikeouts. Sophomore Trevor Stowe took the reigns on the mound and spun 2/3 innings of scoreless baseball.
Junior Gavin Roy and redshirt junior Logan Johnstone got on the board late to drive across two insurance runs, giving the Cougs a 7-3 lead in the eighth. With a five-run lead, and only three outs away from a conference win, the stage was set for the ninth inning.
With their breaths held, Coug fans watched as redshirt sophomore Rylan Haider took the mound to close out the ball game. Air Force refused to go quietly as senior Zach Peters doubled into the left-center gap to bring in two runs and cut the lead to 7-5. Nonetheless, Haider managed to slam the door on the night, getting the last out and securing the game one win of the three-game conference series.
With baseball season nearing its end, the Cougs only have two Mountain West series remaining after the Air Force series. With a conference record of 9-13, the Cougs found themselves tied with Air Force and San Jose State for last place in the conference. In a tight division, every win has the power to propel the Cougs up the ranks. The top six teams in the MWC will qualify for the tournament, and the Cougs have eight games remaining to snag a spot.
