POCATELLO, Idaho. — Idaho State closed the 2026 UNLV Rebel Classic with a commanding Sunday sweep at Eller Media Stadium, defeating Valparaiso 9-1 in five innings before blanking Merrimack 6-0. Powered by timely offense and dominant work in the circle, the Bengals finished the tournament 3-2 and improved to 8-7 overall.
"I am very proud of how our team bounced back today to finish the weekend out strong," said Head Coach Andrew Rich. "We had a lot of self-inflicted wounds on Friday and Saturday that put us in some tough spots. So it was great to see us play more our style today."
Game One
Idaho State 9, Valparaiso 1 (5 innings)
Valparaiso struck first in the top of the opening inning, scoring an unearned run following two Bengal defensive errors.
Idaho State responded immediately in the bottom half with a six-run outburst on seven hits. Alyssa Yee singled to spark the rally, and Sydney Groves followed with a base hit that led to the tying run. Jenna Kearns drove in a run with a single up the middle, and Ava Brown doubled to right center to extend the lead. Kira Day added an RBI single, and Olivia Robison punctuated the inning with a two-run home run to center, giving the Bengals a 6-1 advantage after one.
From there, Kasey Aguinaga took command in the circle. After the unearned run in the first, the right-hander worked quickly and efficiently, retiring 10 of the final 12 hitters she faced. Aguinaga scattered just two hits across five complete innings, worked around two walks, and prevented Valparaiso from building any sustained pressure. She stranded runners in scoring position in both the third and fourth innings and relied on weak contact to preserve the early cushion.
The Bengals added three more runs in the fourth inning to secure the run-rule victory. Kennedy Dudley and Camryn McDonald reached to start the frame. Renay Chavez, pinch running, scored on a sacrifice bunt by Yee, McDonald crossed the plate on a passed ball, and Groves delivered a sacrifice fly to center to complete the scoring at 9-1.
Aguinaga improved to 5-0 on the season with the complete-game effort.
Game Two
Idaho State 6, Merrimack 0
Idaho State carried its momentum into the late morning finale, leaning again on dominant pitching.
Marley Goluskin controlled the game from the first pitch, retiring the side in order in the opening inning and setting the tone early. She allowed just one hit across six shutout innings, struck out nine, and walked two. Merrimack did not record its lone hit until the fifth inning, and Goluskin responded by stranding the runner and striking out two in the frame to preserve the shutout. The right-hander consistently worked ahead in counts and limited hard contact throughout.
The Bengals broke through offensively in the second inning. Ava Brown doubled to right center and advanced to third on a passed ball before scoring on an RBI groundout by Olivia Robison to give Idaho State a 1-0 lead.
The decisive inning came in the fifth. Alyssa Yee doubled to center to ignite the rally, and Sydney Groves followed with an RBI double to make it 2-0. After Jenna Kearns drew a walk, Brown delivered the biggest swing of the day, launching a three-run home run to deep center field to push the advantage to 5-0.
Idaho State added one final run in the sixth. Lexi Hinahara doubled to right center and moved to third on a sacrifice bunt by Renay Chavez. McKenna Schab brought her home with an RBI groundout to cap the scoring at 6-0.
Lizzy Tommasini entered in the seventh inning and closed the door, allowing no hits and preserving the combined one-hit shutout.
"Kasey and Marley pitched phenomenal in the games today. They attacked the zone, limited free passes and that was something they needed to do to have some more success. We have so much potential as a pitching staff and today was a good start toward what we can do as a group."
Bengal Bites – Day 3 UNLV Rebel Classic
• Idaho State went 2-0 on Sunday to finish the UNLV Rebel Classic with a 3-2 tournament record and improve to 8-7 overall.
• The Bengals outscored opponents 15-1 on the final day.
• Idaho State hit .391 as a team and slugged .674 across the two games.
• The Bengals recorded 18 hits, including seven doubles and two home runs.
• Idaho State pitchers allowed just three hits across 12 innings, holding opponents to a .077 batting average.
• Kasey Aguinaga improved to 5-0 with a complete-game, five-inning win, allowing one unearned run.
• Marley Goluskin struck out a career-best nine batters in six shutout innings against Merrimack.
• Ava Brown went 3-for-5 with two doubles, a home run, and four RBI, posting a 1.600 slugging percentage.
• Kennedy Dudley hit .750 on Sunday, going 3-for-4 across the two games.
• Sydney Groves recorded two doubles and drove in two runs.
• Idaho State secured its second shutout victory of the season in the 6-0 win over Merrimack.
UNLV Rebel Classic Recap
Idaho State put together a 3-2 week at the 2026 UNLV Rebel Classic, highlighted by a 2-0 Sunday sweep to close the weekend and an 8-7 overall record through 15 games this season. The Bengals scored 35 runs across the five games while posting 45 hits, including 12 doubles and six home runs.
Idaho State opened the tournament Friday with a 16-6 loss at Utah Valley before responding later that day with an 8-6 win over Valparaiso.
"We showed a ton of fight on Friday night after a long break between games and falling behind," remarked Rich. "We chipped away with a lot of quality at bats and had contributions throughout the roster to pull that one out against Valpo. Ava had a huge swing in the 7th inning to give us a lead and it was great to see Lizzy finish it off."
The Bengals continued to generate offense throughout the weekend, but came up short Saturday against host UNLV, 14-6, setting up a strong finish on the final day.
Sunday belonged to the Bengals, who capped the event with a run-rule win and a shutout. Idaho State defeated Merrimack 6-0 behind six shutout innings from Marley Goluskin, then closed the weekend with a 9-1, five-inning win over Valparaiso. The Bengals outscored opponents 15-1 on Sunday and allowed just three hits across 12 innings in the circle on the final day.
Offensively, Alyssa Yee led Idaho State with a .500 average for the weekend, going 7-for-14 with seven runs scored and a home run. Ava Brown drove in a team-high seven RBI while adding three doubles and two home runs in five games. Kira Day delivered one of the biggest production weekends of any Bengal, driving in seven runs while batting .429 with a 1.000 slugging percentage. Kennedy Dudley and Camryn McDonald each hit .500 over the five-game stretch, while the Bengals finished the tournament hitting .346 as a team with a .577 slugging percentage.
In the circle, Goluskin earned a pair of starts and finished 1-0 with a 2.40 ERA across 11.2 innings, striking out 10. Aguinaga went 1-0 in three appearances and logged the weekend's lone complete game for Idaho State in the five-inning win over Valparaiso on Sunday.
On Deck
The Bengals have one more tournament before heading home to Pocatello for the 2026 Home opener. The Bengals head to Eugene, Oregon to take on the Oregon Classic February 27 - March 1. Idaho State will take on host Oregon, along with Stetson and Samford.
