The BYU Cougars will make their first appearance in the NCAA baseball tournament in 17 years. BYU earned a berth in the tournament by defeating San Diego State 4-3 in the Mountain West Conference Championship game Saturday night.
Pitcher Nate Fernly went the distance for the Cougars, throwing seven scoreless innings, and giving up nine hits.
SDSU took an early lead on a solo homer in the first by Darrell Bowles and two runs in the second, but the Cougars came back.
With two outs and score tied at three in the top of the eighth, Shane Belliston and Marcos Mendoza both singled, putting Belliston in scoring position. Belliston stole third, and scored the winning run for BYU on a single by Seth King.
The win makes Fernley the winningest pitcher in college baseball, with a 16-2 record. Fernley was also named MWC Tournament MVP.
The Cougars will learn their first round opponent Monday at 1 p.m., when the 64-team field is announced on ESPN.