POCATELLO, Idaho – Battling both the Bears and the Elements, the Bengals (23-21, 5-3 BSC) put together two wins over the first-place UNC Bears in Greeley Friday Afternoon.
The Bengals first battled back and forth in a 5-3 win. Game two, the Bengals dominated seven innings of play, taking down the Bears 20-7.
Postgame Remarks
"I'm so proud of the effort from our group. They fought through some horrible weather conditions and came out and executed at an extremely high level. Marley threw a great game to start the day off and our offense rolled all day long.
We had a great day out-hitting all day long. Just grinded out at bats and found a way to keep the line moving and that was huge.
This group knows the job isn't finished yet. This is a very good UNC team we are playing and they'll be hungry tomorrow so we have to make sure we come out with the same focus and energy we had today and keep our foot on the gas pedal to finish this series off."
How it Happened
ISU 5 – UNC 3
The Bengals went into Greeley ready for a series with the current first-place Northern Colorado Bears. The Series is also a rematch from the 2023 Big Sky Tournament Championship.
Marley Goluskin got the start for the Bengals in the circle and the weather was not on the Bengals side. Snow flurries and cold weather was the norm for the game with both teams playing through the challenge of the elements.
UNC opened the scoring in the game, taking a 1-0 lead over the Bengals in the bottom of the first.
Moving onto the top of the 2nd, the Bengal offense didn't waste any time getting back to work. Angelica Cano opened the inning with a lead-off double down the left field line, she was followed by an RBI double by Alyssa Yee, scoring Cano and tieing the game at 1-1.
Not to be left out, Kennedy Dudley smacked the third straight double of the inning to left center and Yee came home from second. The Bengals had a 2-1 lead and they would hold onto it for the remainder of the game.
After two Bengal batters were put out, Camryn McDonald singled to shortstop and brought Dudley home. At the end of the top of two, the Bengals held a 3-1 lead over the Bears.
The Bengal defense held strong with two runners on in the 2nd with Goluskin corralling a grounder for the final putout of the inning.
In the top of the third, Paige Simpson started the inning off with a bunt towards the pitcher that she beat out to reach. Simpson then stole 2nd and Olivia Robison came up to bat. A strong single by Robison to left field and Simpson rounded the bases for a 4-1 Bengal lead.
Both teams continued to battle it out and the Bears were able to tack on two more runs in the bottom of the fourth to cut the Bengal lead to 4-3. With runners on second and third and just a one run lead, Goluskin stepped up and struck out the final batter of the inning to maintain the Bengal lead, her third strikeout of the inning.
In the sixth, with two outs, and Yee and Skyler Sethman on base, McDonald knocked in her second RBI of the game, a single through the right side, giving the Bengals the insurance run and 5-3 lead.
In the Bottom of the 7th, the Bears made their final push to comeback into the game.
After the first UNC batter walked, the next Bear hit a line drive straight to McDonald who then launched the ball back to Angelica Cano on first for the double play. The next batter grounded out and the Bengals closed out the 5-3 win over the Bears.
Goluskin moves to 9-6 on the year as the Bengals broke the Bears seven-game win streak.
Game 2 | ISU 20 – UNC 6
Game two started with the Bears looking to avenge the game one loss and even the series and the Bears started hot. In the first inning, the second UNC batter smashed a home run over the left field wall and went up on the Bengals 1-0.
Neither team was able gain any momentum in the second and the two teams went into the third with UNC still holding a 1-0 lead.
Madison Muxen started off the third with a single down the left field line, she was then advanced to second on a Yee groundout.
On the next play, McDonald singled through the left side and Muxen made a break for home plate, the throw from the UNC outfielder was on time and it seemed that she was going to be called out on the throw. The Bengals however appealed that the catcher was in the basepath and after an officials conference, they called her safe and the game was tied 1-1.
The Bengals then took the lead on the next batter when Cano singled scoring McDonald and going up 2-1.
Taylor Fitzgerald and the Bengal defense took care of business in the bottom of the third and the Bengals moved on to a momentous fourth inning.
The Bengals started off a seven-run fourth inning with a the Bengals loading the bases and Sethman scoring off of a throwing error by the Bears.
Yee then stepped up and smashed a double to right field scoring two runs and putting the Bengals up 5-1.
After McDonald reached on another error by the Bears, Olivia Robison smashed a triple that went to the right field wall scoring another two Bengals to go up 7-1.
Ava Brown kept the scoring going, hitting another double down the right field line, scoring two runs and extending the Bengals' lead to 9-1. At the end of the inning the Bengals had scored seven runs on four hits and three UNC errors.
UNC tried to make a game of it in the 4th, scoring four runs to cut the lead to 9-5, but the Bengals, instead of allowing the Bears to comeback, instead put their foot on the gas.
In the fifth, Yee reached on a fielders choice and McDonald smashed a double to left center scoring another Bengal run.
Angelica Cano then stepped up to the plate. With two strikes, Cano smacked the ball over the left field wall and the Bengals extended their lead to 12-5.
Neither team scored in the sixth and the Bengals and Bears went into the seventh with ISU up 12-6.
Rather than trying to just end the game quickly, the Bengals got to work in the top of the seventh. After two straight walks, McDonald gounded out and the two Bengals advanced bases.
Jenna Kearns then singled up the third base line and the Bengals scored another run, up 13-6.
Skylar Williams came into pinch hit for Kennedy Dudley and striped a ball past the UNC pitchers head scoring two runs and the Bengals led 15-6.
Skyler Sethman singled down the left field line and the Bengals scored another run.
Kate Hogan then came in to pinch hit for Muxen and again put her chance to good use, scoring an RBI single through the right side and the Bengals led 17-6.
Finally, Alyssa Yee came up to bat once again and with ease, smacked a towards right field and sped the bases for a three RBI triple.
The Bengals lead increased to 20-6 and the the half inning finally ended on the next batter with the rout of the Bears finished.
The Bears were able to score one final run in the bottom of the seventh before the Bengal defense closed out the game with a foul out to right field and the Bengals were victorious 20-7 over the Bears.
Fitzgerald eared her eighth win of the year and Riley Wickum earned her first save of the year.
Notes-
· The 20 runs scored against the UNC Bears are tied for 2nd most by the Bengals in the modern era of the team. In 2017 Bengals defeated Buffalo 21-9, and in 2014 ISU defeated Weber State 20-4.
· The Bengals had 16 hits, the fourth time this season the Orange and Black have had 16+ hits in a game.
· ISU improves to 20-9 all-time vs the Bears and are 4-4 in the past eight game with the Bears.
On Deck
The Bengals and Bears have one more game in Greeley tomorrow at 12:00 PM. The Bengals have already won the series and will look to close out the sweep of the Big Sky first-place team.
