The Washington State Cougars found their stride on Sunday afternoon, securing an 8-3 victory over the Cal Poly Mustangs. The win moves the Cougars to a 2-4 record, while the Mustangs fall to 4-2 following the contest.

Washington State jumped out to an early lead in the third inning. Gavin Roy ignited the scoring with an RBI single to second base, bringing home Luke Thiele. Moments later, Max Hartman extended the cushion with a two-RBI double deep into left field, scoring both Roy and Trevor Smith to make it 3-0.

Cal Poly attempted to chip away at the lead in the bottom of the fourth. Alejandro Garza drove in Nate Castellon with a single up the middle and later crossed the plate himself following a throwing error to bring the Mustangs within one. However, WSU responded in the sixth inning when Ryan Skjonsby doubled to center field, driving in Hartman to push the lead to 4-2.

The Mustangs tightened the game again in the seventh with an RBI fielder’s choice from Dante Vachini, but the Cougars broke the game open in the eighth inning with a four-run surge. Skjonsby and Roy combined for three RBIs on back-to-back singles, and Trevor Smith capped off the rally with a bunt single that allowed Noah Thein to score on an error, bringing the final tally to 8-3.

The Cougar offense was productive throughout the day, totaling 11 hits. Despite committing three defensive errors, the WSU pitching staff managed the game effectively. Cal Poly finished the afternoon with eight hits and two errors of their own.

Griffin Smith earned his first win of the season (1-1), delivering six innings of work and allowing only two earned runs on six hits. Taber Fast and August Richie provided three innings of relief to seal the victory. Cal Poly’s Laif Palmer took the loss, surrendering four runs over seven innings.

The Cougars will continue their road stretch with the series finale against Cal Poly tomorrow.