Washington State advances in NCAA Tournament after holding off Oregon State
Nick Lewis pitches complete game as Cougars secure 3-2 victory in Eugene regional opener
Washington State University baseball has advanced to the regional semifinals of the NCAA Tournament after defeating Oregon State 3-2 in the regional opener held in Eugene on May 29. The victory marks the Cougars’ first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 2010, when they finished one win short of reaching the Super Regional.
Starter Nick Lewis delivered a complete-game performance, pitching 103 pitches to secure the win. The Mountain West Pitcher of the Year relied on deception and a three-pitch repertoire rather than velocity, allowing two runs on six hits with no walks and one strikeout. Lewis worked around a one-out double in the eighth inning and retired the side in order in the ninth after Oregon State intentionally walked first baseman Ryan Skjonsby to load the bases.
The game remained tight until the eighth inning, when left fielder Dustin Robinson hit a run-scoring double down the right-field line to score Max Hartman, giving Washington State its first lead of the afternoon. Prior to that, the teams had traded leads; Max Hartman scored on a throwing error by Oregon State catcher Jacob Galloway in the fourth to tie the game at 1-1, and Matt Priest’s single in the sixth tied it again after Oregon State had retaken the lead in the fifth.
Washington State coach Nathan Choate praised Lewis’s performance, describing it as an "all-time performance" that arrived at a critical moment. Choate also took the opportunity to correct a recent typographical error by a local reporter who had referred to the pitcher as "Kyle" Lewis, emphasizing that his name is Nick.
Washington State will face the winner of the match between Yale and Oregon in the regional semifinals on Saturday at 6 p.m. Yale is the No. 1 seed and host school for the regional, while Oregon State entered the tournament as the No. 2 seed and was ranked No. 7 nationally at the end of the regular season. The loser of the Washington State-Oregon State game will play the loser of the Yale-Oregon match on Sunday at 1 p.m. for a chance to reach the title game.
