POCATELLO, Idaho - Idaho State Softball went 1-1 on the final day of the 2025 Nor Cal Kickoff in Davis California. The Benagls lost a nailbiter 3-2 to Saint Mary's. The Bengals then defeated San Jose State 3-1 leading the whole way.
Idaho State moves to 3-1 on the year.
"It was great to see our pitching staff come out and do a great job all day today," said Head Coach Andrew Rich. "Riley, Megan, Kasey and Lizzy all threw the ball great. They limited free passes which was a big emphasis today and they put us in a great spot to go get a couple wins."
"We will work on making adjustments quicker as an offense. We will get better at that as we go and that'll be something that really helps us when our offense slows down a little bit. It was a great opening weekend and we are looking forward to another good week of practice before we head down to Las Vegas next weekend."
Game 1 | ISU 2 - Saint Mary's 3
Game one of the day started with the Bengals taking an early lead over the Gaels of Saint Mary's. In the top of the 2nd inning, Ava Brown hit the 15th homerun of her career, a solo bomb over the left center wall, putting the Benagls up 1-0.
The Bengal defense was battling. In the bottom of the 2nd, Idaho State turned the first double-play of the season. With a runner on third, Alyssa Yee caught a pop fly in shallow left field, Yee then rocketed the ball to home where Skyler Willams deftly made the tag at home for the 2nd run saving out.
In the next inning, SMC was able to put together a two-out rally, scoring three runs and taking a 3-1 lead over the Bengals.
Megan Meracle entered the game in relief and proceeded to strike out six of the next nine batters she faced.
In the top of the 5th, Kate Hogan entered the game as a pinch hitter for the Bengals. Hogan slammed a solo homerun over the outfield wall, her first of the season, and cut the Gael lead to 3-2.
Continuing to battle, the game came down to the 7th inning. ISU had two runners reach, but were unable to score a tying run and the Gaels came away with the 3-2 win.
Riley Wickum pitching three innings in the game, giving up three runs with no walks allowed and two Ks
In relief, Meracle pitched three innings, allowing one his and striking out six batters.
As a team, the Bengls hit .160 in the game with six runners left on base. Pinch hitters for ISU went .677 in the game.
Game 2 | ISU 3 - SJSU 1
The Bengals bounced right back in their second game with the San Jose State Spartans.
The Bengals got on the board in the 2nd inning, the Bengals loaded the bases. Alyssa Yee then drew a walk to score the first run and Gracie Smith was hit by a pitch the next at bat to score the 2nd.
The next two innings, the Bengals continued to battle with the defense holding the Spartans off the board.
In the 4th inning, the Bengals extended their lead when Smith hit her first home run of the season, a solo bomb that extended the Bengals lead to 3-0.
SJSU scored a run in the bottom of the 4th to cut the Bengal lead to 3-1.
The Bengal defense came up big in the bottom of the sixth inning. With two SJSU runners on base, the Bengal defense stepped up and putout a runner at 2nd followed by a Lizzy Tommasini strike out to escape the inning.
ISU capped off the game in the 7th with a looking strikeout by Tommasini to close out the Bengals 3-1 win over the Spartans.
Kasey Aguinaga pitched five innings for the Bengals, holding the Spartans to 4 hits, one run with zero walks allowed and two strikeouts.
In relief, Tommasini allowed two hits and zero walks with two strikeouts. Between the two Begnals, ISU pitched 65.7 strikes of total pitches.
The Bengals hit .160 as a team. In advancement opportunities, the Bengals hit .538 (7-15)
Tournament Wrap Up
Idaho State closes out the 2025 NorCal Kickoff 3-1 with two wins over San Jose State and a win over Utah Valley University.
ISU hit .248 as a team with 27 hits and 24 RBIS. The Bengals had 10 extra-base hits in the tournament.
ISU outscored opponents 27-18 over the four games
Ava Brown led the team in extra base-hits with two doubles and two homeruns for a .857 Slugging percentage.
In players with 10+ at bats, Camryn McDonald led the team, hitting .417 with five hits and five RBIS.
Kasey Aguinaga earned two wins in the circle with a 3.38 ERA. Marley Goluskin earned her first win of the year. In three appearances for the Bengals, Lizzy Tommasini earned two saves with a 1.80 ERA
On Deck
The Bengals head south next week to Las Vegas, Nevad, for the 2025 UNLV Rebel Classic. The Bengals will take on UNLV, UMKC and Mounmouth over next weekend.
