San Diego State won its 40th game of the season in Friday night’s 9-8 Mountain West Tournament victory over New Mexico. It’s only the fourth time in the past 20 years the Aztecs have reached that milestone. Their 41st win is the one the Aztecs are really eager to get, however.

SDSU (40-18) is one win away from the Mountain West Tournament championship. The tourney winner receives the conference’s automatic berth to the 64-team NCAA Tournament.

New Mexico (30-26-1) meets Fresno State (32-24), which eliminated Nevada 15-5 earlier in the day, in an elimination game at noon. SDSU will play the winner of that game immediately thereafter. A victory gives SDSU its fourth title in five years. A loss would require returning Sunday and trying again at Santa Ana Star Field in Albuquerque, N.M.

Although the Aztecs are in the driver’s seat, SDSU head coach Mark Martinez is taking nothing for granted.


“We haven’t won anything yet,” Martinez said. “This was not the championship game. We’re going to see either Fresno or New Mexico (on Saturday) and those are two unbelievable programs.”

SDSU is bidding to win the tournament title for the fourth time in five years. The Aztecs won back-to-back-to-back championships from 2013-15, coming through the losers’ bracket on each occasion. They’re trying something new this time.

SDSU came out quickly against New Mexico — just as the Aztecs had a day earlier with a 10-run first inning against Fresno State — with three runs in the first inning. David Hensley, who had a team-high three RBIs in the game, plated two of the runs with a single. SDSU added another run in the second inning on an RBI single up the middle by Andrew Brown.

That staked Mountain West Pitcher of the Year Brett Seeburger to a 4-0 lead. It did nothing for SDSU head coach Mark Martinez’s stress level against New Mexico, however.


“It’s a very dangerous offense and we have a lot of game left, so we’re very restless over here,” Martinez said during an in-game interview from the Aztecs dugout in the middle of the third inning.

Martinez’s concern was realized when SDSU’s 4-0 lead disappeared in the bottom of the third inning after Seeburger allowed two hits and a walk to load the bases before the Lobos’ Carl Stajduhar hit a grand slam to center field. Teammate Matt Villalobos gave New Mexico a 5-4 lead four pitches later with a solo homer to left field.

SDSU scored single runs in the fifth and sixth innings, then New Mexico came back with a run in the sixth to make it 6-6 through six innings.

Alan Trejo’s two-run double in the eighth inning provided the Aztecs with an 8-6 lead in the eighth inning. Trejo advanced to third on an infield out and scored on a wild pitch to make it a three-run lead.


The Aztecs needed all of it when New Mexico rallied for two runs in the eighth.

In the ninth, SDSU closer C.J. Saylor struck out the side to preserve the win.

“My team needed me to pick them up, and I did,” said Saylor, who recorded his 13th save of the season.

MW Tournament central (which includes live streaming) is RIGHT HERE.


2017 Mountain West Baseball Championship

Santa Ana Star Field, Albuquerque, N.M.

(all games will be live-streamed on the Mountain West Network)

Thursday

Game No. 1 — #2 San Diego State 18, #3 Fresno State 10


Game No. 2 — #1 New Mexico 7, #4 Nevada 2

Friday

Game No. 3 — Fresno State 15, Nevada 5 (7 inn., Wolf Pack eliminated)

Game No. 4 — San Diego State 9, New Mexico 8


Saturday

Game No. 5 - Fresno State (32-24) vs. New Mexico (30-26-1), 12 p.m.

Game No. 6 - Winner of Game 5 vs. SDSU (40-18), 4 p.m.

Sunday


If Necessary Championship Game - Same teams as Game No. 6 if both have one loss, 12 p.m.

kirk.kenney@sduniontribune.com / on Twitter: @sdutkirKDKenney