Gallery: (4-19-2025) SB vs Montana
POCATELLO, Idaho - Idaho State softball secured its place in program history on Sunday afternoon with a dominant 11-1 run-rule victory over Montana, completing a three-game sweep and clinching the outright Big Sky Conference regular season championship. The title marks the fifth Big Sky regular season crown in school history and the first since 2023, the 2nd for Head Coach Andrew Rich in his tenure of Idaho State. With the win the Bengals improve to 32-13 on the year and 11-1 in Big Sky Play.
In front of a packed crowd at Miller Ranch Stadium, the Bengals wasted no time asserting control, scoring nine runs across the first two innings and capping the shortened five-inning contest with a 10-hit offensive explosion.
Freshman pitcher Megan Meracle turned in another gem in the circle, earning her fourth win of the season, and 2nd of the week, by limiting the Grizzlies to just three hits and one earned run across five innings. She struck out five, walked one, and hit one batter in the complete-game effort.
Leading the charge offensively was Gracie Smith, who set the tone with a leadoff home run in the bottom of the first and followed with a two-run blast in the second. Smith finished 2-for-2 with three RBIs, three runs scored, and a walk.
Jenna Kearns added her own fireworks, crushing a three-run homer as part of Idaho State's six-run second inning. Kennedy Dudley continued her hot streak at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two RBIs, while Alyssa Yee tallied two hits, a stolen base, and a run scored.
The Bengals scored in each of the first three innings and used aggressive baserunning and timely hitting to keep Montana off balance. Ashley LaRue, pinch-hitting in the third, delivered a two-run single to push the lead to 11-0.
With the Bengals comfortably ahead 11-1, Meracle returned to the circle in the top of the fifth to slam the door on the Grizzlies and secure the championship-clinching victory. Meracle wasted no time setting the tone, forcing a grounder to Dudley who stepped on first for the first out.
Next, Grace Lopez lined a sharp ball toward second base, but Belle Navarrete was positioned perfectly and snagged it for the second out.
Meracle shut the door moments later, inducing a flyout to center field, which nestled securely into Ava Brown's glove to seal the victory. The Bengals stormed the field moments later, celebrating their fifth Big Sky regular season title and a dominant 3-0 sweep of the series.
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Weekend Recap
Idaho State's offensive dominance throughout the weekend was backed by explosive hitting and consistent pitching, as the Bengals outscored Montana 37-13 and hit .465 as a team during the three-game sweep.
Gracie Smith headlined the offensive surge, going a blistering 5-for-6 at the plate with five runs scored, four RBIs, and three home runs, slugging an eye-popping 2.333 with a .909 on-base percentage. She also went 3-for-3 on stolen base attempts.
Jenna Kearns wasn't far behind, batting .600 with two doubles, three home runs, and a team-high 12 RBIs, while not striking out once across 10 at-bats.
Belle Navarrete and Camryn McDonald each hit over .500, combining for eight hits, seven runs scored, and four RBIs while anchoring the middle infield without an error.
Ava Brown continued her power-hitting ways with a .444 average and three home runs, tying her for both the Idaho State and Big Sky single-season home run record. She drove in four and scored four times on the weekend.
On the mound, Kasey Aguinaga tossed a complete-game win, going 7.0 innings with four earned runs and three strikeouts. Freshman Megan Meracle followed with a dominant five-inning start in the finale, allowing just one run on three hits while striking out five.
Riley Wickum contributed three-plus innings of relief without surrendering a walk and giving up just two hits.
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A Weekend of Records
The Idaho State Bengals rewrote the record book in the three-game sweep of Montana this weekend.
·     Ava Brown now sits at 20 home runs on the season, tied for the Idaho State and Big Sky single-season home runs record.
·     Jenna Kearns tied the ISU and Big Sky record for single-game RBIs with 7. She becomes just one of 8 ever who have hit seven in a game.
·     Gracie Smith now ranks T7 in single-season home runs and 5th all-time in single-season stolen bases. For her career, Smith is T3 all-time in stolen bases for the Bengals.
·     The Bengals as a team drew 12 walks in game one against Montana, setting a new ISU and Big Sky single-game record.
·     The 2025 Bengals join four other teams before them (2023, 2015, 2014, 2013) to win a Big Sky regular season championship, the 2025 Bengals will look to win the tournament for the first time in school history.
·     The 17 Runs the Bengals scored in game one against Montana are the most given up by the Grizzlies in their team history.
·     Idaho State has now scored in double figures in 14 of their games in 2025.
·     Since April 4 (last 10 games), the Bengals have held opponents to 4 runs or fewer in 9 of 10 games, including a shutout against Utah Valley and a one-run outing in the Montana finale.
·     Idaho State pitchers have 166 strikeouts vs. just 90 walks, a 1.84 strikeout-to-walk ratio—meaning they've recorded approximately 184% more strikeouts than walks on the season.
·     Idaho State's opponents have a combined ERA of 6.57, nearly double ISU's 3.54 mark
·     Through 45 games, ISU has scored 300 runs while allowing 179, producing a +121 run differential. Their offense averages 6.67 runs per game, while opponents average just 3.98.
On Deck
The Bengals have one final series of the 2025 Big Sky Season as ISU travels to Portland to take on the PSU Vikings, but first, the Bengals will take on the Boise State Broncos in a mid week battle this coming Wednesday in Boise.
