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Box Score 2
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – The Idaho State softball team ended the New Mexico Invitational on a high-note, winning the final three games of the five-game tournament. The competition concluded Sunday with a 3-1 win over Buffalo and a 12-9 win over New Mexico in a shortened game.
Saturday's game against North Dakota State was cancelled and a make-up with Buffalo was scheduled Sunday morning before the ISU game against New Mexico. After the win over Buffalo, ISU and UNM had a pre-established cut-off time because of Idaho State's travel arrangements.
The Bengal offense was strong on Sunday.
Vicky Galasso was 4-7 with six RBIs and two home runs including a grand slam against New Mexico.
Kacie Burnett was 6-8 on the day and scored three runs.
Terah Blackwell also tallied three RBIs on two home runs, her only hits of the day.
Bailey Foster earned the win over Buffalo and allowed just four hits and one run in eight innings in the circle for Idaho State. Hailey Douglas (5-5) was awarded the win against New Mexico. She allowed four runs on eight hits in four innings.
Idaho State 3, Buffalo 1
Foster carried a no-hitter through four innings and Galasso was 3-for-4 with two RBIs to lead Idaho State to the 3-1 victory.
Idaho State scored in the top of the first inning when Galasso singled to left field to score Burnett.
Galasso again got the Bengals on the board in the third with a solo home run to dead center on the second pitch of the inning.
ISU tallied its third run of the inning when
Katee Wiley reached on an error and Blackwell scored.
Foster was solid throughout the game but carried a no-hitter until the bottom of the fifth when Sammi Gallardo hit a solo home run to cut the ISU lead to 3-1.
Foster allowed two more hits in the fifth but got out of the inning with no further damage. She didn't allow a hit in the final two innings.
"Bailey had a tremendous game," Head Coach
Julie Wright said. "Buffalo is a good hitting team and she handled herself very well."
In the bottom of the seventh inning Buffalo had a runner on first when Gallardo came back up but she was unable to replicate her fifth inning at-bat as she hit into a double play to end the game.
The game was the second complete game of the season for Foster who is now 4-1.
Idaho State 12, New Mexico 9 (5.5 innings)
Idaho State scored in all six innings played, en route to the 12-9 win over New Mexico in the shortened game.
The Bengals scored three runs in the top of the first to get the ball rolling. Michaela Taylor singled to first base to score Galasso for the first run of the game.
Blackwell and Breakwell scored on the next at-bat when the Lobo pitcher and first baseman collided attempting to catch a
Dara Kolar popup in the infield.
UNM scored in the bottom of the first but the Bengal bats answered in the top of the second inning. Wiley was walked and Burnett and
Katelyn Marquez both singled to load the bases for Galasso. She sent the ball deep over the center field fence for her second grand slam of the season to give ISU a 7-1 lead.
Marquez again singled in the top of the third to score
Michaela Barr, who was pinch-running for Kolar.
Blackwell scored in the top of the fourth inning on a solo home run to left field to push the Bengal lead to 9-1.
In the top of the fifth inning Blackwell hit her second home run in two innings, this time it was a two-run blast to left-center to set the Bengal advantage at 11-1.
The Lobos exploded for eight runs in the bottom of the fifth to extend the game.
In the top of the sixth
Gabby Lopez tallied a pinch-hit triple to score Kolar to give ISU a 12-9 lead. The game was called at a pre-determined time which fell before the Lobos could bat in the sixth.
Galasso had four RBIs on her grand slam and Blackwell had three RBIs on two home runs to lead the explosive ISU offense.
"Vicky dominated on both sides of the ball and had a tremendous weekend," Wright said. "Our offense was really feeling it against New Mexico, led by both by Vicky and Terah. I was really proud of our effort offensively. I was also really pleased with the defense."
Hailey Douglas had four strong innings in the circle for ISU before struggling in the fifth.
"Douglas threw some good innings and that was really great to see."
The Bengals travel to Southern, Calif. for a tournament at UC Riverside March 7-9. ISU plays San Diego, Utah State and UC Riverside.
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