Nick Lewis twirls complete-game gem as WSU holds off Oregon State, 3-2, in NCAA Tournament opener
May 29-PULLMAN - Not long after Washington State missed what seemed like a golden opportunity, a chance to balloon a slim lead on Oregon State late in Friday's NCAA Tournament regional opener, a cloud of uncertainty hung over the Cougars' operation.
In their first NCAA Tournament appearance in more than a decade and a half, they needed all the separation they could get on the Beavers, who finished the regular season ranked No. 7 nationally and commanded the No. 2 seed for this Eugene Regional. OSU may not be the country's most potent team offensively, but to dethrone a perennial powerhouse, WSU seemingly needed a bit more cushion.
Instead, WSU starter Nick Lewis needed no more padding to send the Cougars onto Saturday's regional semifinals, twirling a complete-game gem to hold off the Beavers in a 3-2 victory.
Washington State will play host and No. 11 overall seed Oregon at 6 p.m. Saturday, after the Ducks took an early lead and put the hurt on Yale late in a 14-2 win in Friday's late game. The winner will advance to Sunday's regional title game, while the loser will play at 1 p.m. Sunday for a chance to reach the title game.
"That was an all-time performance today," WSU coach Nathan Choate said in a postgame radio interview. "I mean, huge. At the right time."
On 103 pitches, Lewis went the distance for the Cougars, who took the lead in the eighth inning on a run-scoring double from left fielder Dustin Robinson. The Beavers then elected to intentionally walk first baseman Ryan Skjonsby, the team's leader in home runs, to load the bases. The Cougars went down in order, opening the door for the Beavers, who had two innings to make up one run.
They got zero thanks to Lewis, who earned his 10th win of the season by allowing just two runs on six hits, striking out one and walking zero. On a rainy afternoon in Eugene, Lewis wasn't fazed by the weather. In the eighth, he worked around a one-out double. In the ninth, he retired OSU in order.
Lewis' was the type of outing that may well go down in the lore of this WSU program, which last reached the NCAA Tournament in 2010, when the Cougars came up one win shy of making the Super Regional. On Friday, they came one step closer to rewriting that piece of history too.
"I think it came down to attacking the strike zone with the runners on. Let them get themselves out," Lewis said. "I think I only had one strikeout, so I just had to pound the zone with the three pitches I've got. I knew even if those guys were to score, our offense always puts together good ABs, as you saw. So it was competitive all the way through."
WSU needed some time to break through on offense. Against OSU starter Ethan Kleinschmit, the Cougars didn't register their first hit until the sixth inning, but that didn't stop them from scoring. In the fourth frame, WSU veteran outfielder Max Hartman scored on a throwing error from OSU catcher Jacob Galloway, whose attempt to throw out Hartman at third careened into the outfield. That tied the game at 1-1.
The Beavers retook the lead in the fifth inning on a sacrifice fly, only for the Cougars to respond an inning later, when designated hitter Matt Priest pulled a two-strike pitch through the left side. That scored second baseman Gavin Roy, who had led off the inning with a walk.
Finally, WSU took the lead for good in the eighth, when Robinson stayed back on a curveball and yanked it down the right-field line, sneaking it past OSU first baseman Jacob Krieg. Hartman, who had led off the inning with a single, came around to score. Robinson gestured and yelled back to his teammates in the dugout. The Cougars' lead was their first of the afternoon.
That was all the scoring they needed because of Lewis, the Mountain West Pitcher of the Year, the Cougars' ace all season. He doesn't have overpowering stuff. He relies on deception. He throws only three pitches. To knock off the nationally ranked Beavers, Lewis needed nothing more.
After the game, Choate understood what he had just seen from Lewis, whose name had recently been written mistakenly. Leading up to Friday's game, a local reporter had a typo and said WSU would start "Kyle" Lewis.
"Just so everyone knows, it's Nick Lewis," Choate said, emphasizing the first name. "Nick Lewis is his name."
Was he referencing the report in question?
"No, no, I don't know what you're talking about," Choate said. "I'm just saying Nick Lewis was pretty good. Nick Lewis."
After his performance in Friday's regional game, Lewis likely won't see his name written incorrectly again any time soon.
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This story was originally published May 29, 2026 at 7:08 PM.