HILLSBORO, Ore. – The Idaho State Bengals opened their final Big Sky regular-season series with a split against Portland State on Friday at Hillsboro Stadium. After falling 6-2 in the opener, the Bengals bounced back for a hard-fought 3-2 victory in Game Two to even the series at one apiece. The two teams will meet tomorrow at 12:00 p.m. PT to decide the series.
Game One: PSU 6 - ISU 2
Portland State used a trio of early runs to seize control and withstand an Idaho State comeback attempt in the first game of the doubleheader, taking a 6-2 win.
Despite trailing 4-0 after three innings, Idaho State found a spark with Ava Brown launching her Big Sky Leading 22nd home run of the season to right field in the fifth, cutting into the deficit. Brown added another homer in the seventh a solo shot to center field, her 23rd of the year, but the Bengals couldn't overcome Portland State's early offense.
Brown finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored and both RBIs for the Bengals. Alyssa Yee chipped in a double, and Brooke Peterson and Jenna Kearns each added singles.
Kasey Aguinaga (14-6) took the loss, allowing four runs (three earned) over 2.2 innings. Riley Wickum and Josslin Law combined to throw the final 4.1 innings, with Law tossing a scoreless seventh.
Game Two: ISU 3 - PSU 2
Idaho State bounced back in the nightcap behind a strong complete-game effort from freshman Megan Meracle and timely hitting.
Meracle (5-1) delivered one of her strongest outings of the season, scattering six hits over seven innings while striking out three. She held the Vikings scoreless after the fourth inning and retired the final six batters she faced to seal the win.
Ava Brown once again provided the spark at the plate, hitting her third home run of the day — a solo shot to left-center in the first inning — to give the Bengals an early lead. Brown's home run was the 24th of the season for the Junior and moves brown to the top of the 2025 NCAA Leaderboard.
Idaho State extended the lead to 3-0 in the second after Belle Navarrete drove in two runs with a single to right.
Portland State fought back with a run in both the third and fourth innings, including a solo homer from Jade Henry, but Meracle and the Bengals' defense shut the door down the stretch.
Camryn McDonald and Olivia Robison each tallied multi-hit efforts, while Brooke Peterson added a walk and a stolen base to round out the offensive attack.
On Deck
The Bengals have one more against the Vikings to close out the final series of the regular season. First pitch is set for 12:00 PM PT at Hillsboro Stadium
