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POCATELLO, Idaho- Ashlyn Ames knows her final games as an Idaho State Bengal is coming to an end. The lone Bengal senior is going out strong. Ames led ISU to a doubleheader sweep over Southern Utah on Friday, winning 7-5 and 5-4.
Ames earned the game 1 7-5 win by striking out three, walking one, allowing 10 hits and four runs. In the second game, ISU trailed 4-0 going into the bottom of the seventh. Ames hit a walk off homer to rally Idaho State to a 5-4 victory.
On the day Ames was 4-6 at the plate with two runs, two homers and five RBIs. She also walked twice.
"I think Ashlyn is making comments that this year is the best year she has pitched even though she hasn't gotten the wins and now her bat is coming alive," Idaho State coach
Candi Letts said. "She is getting more consistent. She has hit a lot of home runs in the last several games."
Mariah Mulcahy earned the game 2 win. She allowed 10 hits, five runs, three walks and struck out five.
Idaho State had 13 hits on the day.
Kelsey Breer had three,
Haley Harrison two and
Makenzie VanSickle two.
In the game 2 rally, Idaho State trailed 4-0 after the top of the seventh inning and was held to one hit while committing four errors.
In the bottom of the seventh,
Danni Ryan reach base on a one-out pinch-hit single to right-center field. Then with two outs,
Aubrey Creekmore walked and VanSickle followed with a single to left field. Harrison then had a two-RBI single and Ames followed with her three-run two-out shot over the left field fence to give the Bengals the win.
 "I felt confident," Ames said. "It's a good weekend. I wanted Mariah to get that win. All that was going through my mind was to get a base hit. It turned out better than I expected. It was huge. Once you start getting people on with two back to back hits it gets the team going no matter what. As soon as people start getting hits it makes you want to get hits. We feed off each other and everyone starts to get louder."
On the rally, Letts said. "Danni started the rally with one out in the seventh and we got a couple of hits back to back to back which we hadn't done. It was good timing." Â
In the first game, ISU built a 7-2 lead after three innings. Ames homered in the first inning and ISU busted loose for a four run second inning. During the inning SUU committed three errors and had three hits.
VanSickle had a two-RBI double to left-center. Creekmore, who reached on an error would score on a wild pitch and VanSickle later scored on a T-Bird miscue.
SUU scored a run in the fourth and two in the sixth but Ames kept SUU at bay to give ISU the win. Idaho State had eight hits and Breer was 3-4.
"The first game we played well and were aggressive," Letts said. "We did a lot of good things. We knew that Southern would not go away. That is how they have played all year. They never die and they play until you tell them it's the last out of the game."
The series concludes Saturday at 1 p.m. Prior to the game Ames will be honored on Senior Day. Â
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