After breaking a three-game skid, the Aztecs returned to conference play against Washington State in the middle game of a three-game set. 

Right-hander Drew Talavs got the nod for the Aztecs, and his performance started incredibly promising.

The pitcher struck out five of the first six batters he faced, including three straight in the second inning. Talavs, who transferred to the Aztecs from Oregon State, saw the chance to start as a big part of the move. The right-hander has been a solid number two in the rotation behind the emerging Rohan Lettow and Alec Belardes.

Despite the strong start, the third inning saw Talavs’ command become an issue, as he walked two batters to lead off the frame. A sacrifice bunt later, Washington State scored on a sacrifice fly to right field. Zane Kelly’s throw was just up the line and wound up hitting the advancing Dane Chavez. An RBI single from Gavin Roy scored Noah Thien from third, and a triple from Max Hartman into the right-center field gap brought in Roy to extend the lead to 3-0 for the Cougars. 

The Aztecs’ lineup had a tough task, but their early hitting provided sparks of optimism. Leadoff man Jabin Trosky reached base on a double to open the game against Cougars starter Nick Lewis. While Trosky was able to move over to third base on a groundout off the bat of Tyce Peterson, Lewis was able to end the inning without a run scoring. A second-inning single off the bat of Adam Magpoc did not yield a run, as Magpoc was thrown out attempting to steal second base. Elsewhere in the lineup, designated hitter Reeve Boyd notched his first two base hits of the year. Boyd was one of two Aztecs hitters with multi-hit games. 

While Drew Talavs got through the fourth inning unscathed, he labored as he entered the fifth inning. A leadoff triple from Kyler Northrop was followed by a walk and a hit-by-pitch. Talavs was able to get the first out of the frame on a ground ball back to the mound off the bat of Max Hartman, but that was the last batter he faced. Talavs departed with two runners on, and the Aztecs called on fireman reliever Connor Abadie to end the threat.

However, the left-hander’s first pitch was grounded up the middle by pinch-hitter Matthew Priest, scoring two runs. Abadie ended the inning with two flyouts, but the lead was now six runs for the Cougars. When all was said and done, Drew Talavs’ final line was 4 1/3 innings pitched, three hits, six earned runs, three walks, and seven strikeouts. 

Between the fourth and sixth innings, SDSU went six-up, six-down against Nick Lewis. While Lewis did not overpower the Aztecs with velocity, his quick tempo on the mound and sequencing allowed him to be in command when he was on the mound. Lewis threw scoreless ball through the sixth inning, holding the Aztecs to four hits. The Cougars, on the back of Lewis’ up-tempo efficiency, added on another run in the seventh. Now facing freshman right-hander Jake Frohn, Max Hartman’s second hit of the day put a runner on for Matthew Priest, who doubled down the left field line to score Hartman. 

Cougs put 3 more up in the 5th!

Max Hartman RBI-groundout
Matt Priest pinch-hit 2-run single up the middle

E6 | 6-0 Cougs#GoCougs | #MadeOfCrimson pic.twitter.com/T2PZinvTbx

— Washington State Baseball (@wsucougarbsb) March 15, 2026

Down 7-0, the Aztecs showed they had some fight in them. With two outs, Dawson Santana and Reeve Boyd singled to put runners on the corners, and Zane Kelly cashed in with an RBI single to right-center field. Kelly’s single chased Cougars starter Nick Lewis from the game, and head coach Nathan Choate called on right-hander Kaden Wickensham from the bullpen. Jabin Trosky lined Wickensham’s third pitch down the line to score Boyd, making the deficit 7-2. 

E7 | WSU 7, Aztecs 2
SDSU gets on the board in the bottom of the seventh on Zane Kelly’s run-scoring single and @jtrosky5‘s RBI double. #GoAztecs

?Live Stats: https://t.co/1fjNVQ3cMI

— San Diego State Baseball (@AztecBaseball) March 15, 2026

Then came the controversy. On a 2-1 pitch to Max Farrell, Cougars reliever Kaden Wickensham appeared to catch his right cleat on the mound, hopping off the mound before planting and completing the action of throwing the ball. The baseball landed in the zone for what was called strike two, but appeared to the Aztecs’ dugout and crowd as a balk. Home plate umpire Joseph Penna did not call the balk, which instantly drew chirps from the crowd.

Aztecs head coach Kevin Vance went to discuss the call with Penna, and Vance’s argument had some merit, as Wickensham stepped off the mound before delivering the pitch. The umpiring crew deliberated amongst themselves, but the call was not overturned. The failure to overturn the call drew ire from the San Diego State dugout, and head coach Kevin Vance was ejected from the game as a result. The lack of an overturned call cost the Aztecs a run, and set up the Cougars well, as Wickensham got a fly ball out to right field to end the inning. 

Jake Frohn threw scoreless baseball in the eighth and ninth innings, striking out two and walking one in that span. The Huntington Beach native threw three innings in all, allowing one run and throwing 28 of 44 pitches for strikes.

Despite this, the Aztecs did not break through in the eighth inning. Down by five in the ninth, Dawson Santana drew a four-pitch walk, sparking hope in the crowd. Washington State countered by turning to their saves leader, Scott Rienguette. The right-hander faced a pinch hitter, as Anthony Marnell IV stepped up to face him. Hoping for a long ball, Marnell was retired on a check-swing grounder for the first out. A Zane Kelly walk put two on with one out, but Rienguette retired Jabin Trosky and Max Farrell on fly outs to end the game, sealing a 7-2 SDSU loss. 

With each team taking one game, the rubber match was all set up. The Aztecs will send Alec Belardes out to the mound, while the Cougars counter with right-hander Griffin Smith.

Diego Garcia

A born and raised San Diegan, Diego Garcia is a lifetime Padres fan and self-proclaimed baseball nerd. Diego wrote about baseball on his own site between 2021-22 before joining the East Village Times team in 2024. He also posts baseball content on his YouTube channel “Stat Nerd Baseball”, creating content around trades, hypotheticals, player analyses, the San Diego Padres, and MLB as a whole.

A 2024 graduate of San Diego State, Diego aims to grow as a writer and content creator in the baseball community.