EL PASO, Texas – Idaho State went 1-1 on Friday to open play at the Dr. Diana Natalicio Memorial Tournament, falling to Minnesota in the morning before responding with a 5-3 win over host UTEP in the nightcap. With the split, the Bengals improved to 4-3 on the season.
"It was good to finish out the day with the W obviously," Head Coach Andrew Rich said. "To get a one-and-one day is good after what we did in the first game this morning."
Game 1 – Minnesota 6, Idaho State 1
How It Happened
Idaho State took an early lead in the bottom of the first inning. Alyssa Yee reached to begin the frame and moved into scoring position before Sydney Groves delivered an RBI double to left field to give the Bengals a 1-0 advantage.
Minnesota tied the game in the third inning and kept it even into the late stages. The Gophers broke through in the sixth, loading the bases and clearing them with a three-run double to take a 4-1 lead. Minnesota added two more runs in the seventh to secure the 6-1 final.
Marley Goluskin pitched effectively despite taking the loss, working 6.0 innings and keeping the game tied into the late stages. She allowed just one run through the first five innings before Minnesota broke through in the sixth. Goluskin finished with four strikeouts and limited damage until the bases-loaded double shifted momentum in the final two frames.
"Marley threw a great game," Rich said. "We just ran out of gas in the sixth and seventh a little bit, but she kept us in it."
Rich pointed to missed opportunities at the plate in the opener.
"I thought we left a lot of opportunities at bat," Rich said. "We had chances to push the lead or take a lead once they tied it up. We've just got to do a better job offensively."
Bengal Bites – Game 1
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Sydney Groves recorded Idaho State's lone RBI with a first-inning double.
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Idaho State finished with six hits.
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Marley Goluskin worked 6.0 innings, allowing four earned runs with four strikeouts.
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Camryn McDonald added two hits in the loss.
Game 2 – Idaho State 5, UTEP 3
How It Happened
Idaho State struck first in the nightcap. Alyssa Yee reached base in the top of the first, and Sydney Groves followed with a two-run home run to give the Bengals a 2-0 lead.
UTEP responded with three runs in the bottom of the second to move in front 3-2.
Groves tied the game in the top of the third with her second home run of the contest, a solo shot that evened the score at 3-3.
Idaho State regained the lead in the top of the fourth. Kira Day walked and Jenna Kearns followed with a walk to put two runners on. Alyssa Yee executed a sacrifice bunt to advance both runners, and Ava Brown lifted a sacrifice fly to right field to score Day and give Idaho State a 4-3 advantage.
The Bengals added insurance in the top of the sixth when Kira Day hit a solo home run, the first of her collegiate career, extending the margin to 5-3.
"I thought Casey threw a great game in this one," Rich said. "Sid had a couple big swings and that's always helpful. Kira had a huge at bat in the sixth that helped us push the lead to two runs. You don't want to just be up one in the sixth and seventh inning."
Kasey Aguinaga secured the win with a complete-game performance in the circle, improving to 3-0 on the season. Aguinaga worked all 7.0 innings, allowing three earned runs on 10 hits while striking out three, walking two, hitting two batters, and throwing 110 pitches. After allowing three runs in the second inning, she held UTEP scoreless over the final five frames.
"Casey gets wins," Rich said. "She's thrown a lot of innings and she knows what it takes to finish games out. That senior presence in the circle is huge."
"We made a couple good plays on defense there at the end to finish that one out," Rich added.
Bengal Bites – Game 2
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Idaho State scored five runs on eight hits and drew six walks while committing zero errors.
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Sydney Groves went 2-for-4 with two home runs and three RBI. Groves now has three home runs and seven RBI on the season and is slugging .905.
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Kira Day went 1-for-2 with a home run, two runs scored, and a walk.
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Olivia Robison went 2-for-2 with two walks and a double, reaching base four times.
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Camryn McDonald finished 2-for-3 with a double and is batting .412 on the season.
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Alyssa Yee went 1-for-2 with a double, a walk, and a sacrifice bunt.
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Ava Brown recorded a sacrifice fly RBI and now has a team-high nine RBI.
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Idaho State recorded two sacrifice bunts and one sacrifice fly in the win.
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Kasey Aguinaga threw a complete game, allowing three earned runs on 10 hits.
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Idaho State improved to 4-3 overall.
On Deck
Idaho State continues the trip, heading to Las Cruces, NM Saturday to take on Oklahoma and New Mexico State.
