Aztecs overcome nemesis New Mexico in opening game of Mountain West Tournament

For all the San Diego State baseball team's success this season, winning the Mountain West regular-season title, enjoying an 11-game midseason winning streak, beating No. 1 UCLA, no-hitting UC Riverside, there was one forgettable weekend.

SDSU was swept in its three-game conference series last month at New Mexico. It was the only time all season the Aztecs lost more than two games in a row.

So who did top-seeded SDSU get for Friday's opening game of the Mountain West championship?

New Mexico.

And where did they find themselves midway through the game?

Trailing by five runs.

There's something special about this SDSU team, however, and it was evident when the Aztecs came storming back for a 11-6 win over New Mexico at Sloan Park in Mesa, Ariz.

“Just take a breath,” SDSU coach Kevin Vance said in a postgame interview on the Mountain West Network. “It kind of sped up there a little bit, some sun balls, things not going our way. We just regrouped and got back to who we are and win every pitch. I’m proud of them for how they fought.”

The victory advanced SDSU (34-22) to a 1:05 p.m. game Saturday against Washington State (28-25), which beat Air Force 5-1 in Friday’s late game.

SDSU scored 10 unanswered runs after trailing the Lobos 5-0 in the bottom of the fourth inning. Three runs in both the fourth and fifth innings provided a 6-5 lead. Four more runs in the sixth doubled up the Lobos.

Right fielder Zane Kelly's three-run double in the fourth got SDSU on the scoreboard. Back-to-back home runs in the fifth, a two-run home run by left fielder Adam Magpoc and a solo shot by third baseman Tyce Peterson, delivered the lead.

First baseman Max Farrell's two-run triple got things going in the sixth. The Aztecs added two more runs on a double by Magpoc and a single by Peterson to make it 10-5.

“We’ve been doing it all year,” said Magpoc, who had three RBIs, three hits and was a triple shy of the cycle. “All we need is just a little bit. I was the spark plug today, but all year it’s been someone else, someone else. We’re constantly picking each other up.”

New Mexico collected eight hits and five runs over four innings against SDSU starting pitcher Rohan Lettow. Issac Araiza (3-0) pitched a scoreless fifth, then the Aztecs went to closer Aidan Russell to pitch the final four innings. Russell limited the Lobos to two hits and one run with four strikeouts for his fifth save of the season.

He pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning, striking out New Mexico’s Antonio Gianni to end the game.

After congratulating each other on the mound, Aztecs players linked arms on the field, turned to their fans in the stands and sang the school’s fight song. SDSU needs two more victories to claim its seventh MW championship and an automatic berth to the NCAA Regionals.

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This story was originally published May 22, 2026 at 5:33 PM.