Bengals Claim Series Over Oregon State with 7-3 Victory

POCATELLO, Idaho -  State softball closed out the Oregon State series with a 7-3 victory on Friday at Miller Ranch Stadium, improving to 20-13 on the season and claiming the three-game set two games to one. Lizzy Tommasini delivered a gutsy 6.1-inning performance to earn the win, and Alyssa Yee went 3-for-3 with two RBI to pace an offense that built a seven-run lead before Oregon State made things interesting in the seventh. The victory was also Head Coach Andrew Rich's 127th career win at Idaho State, passing former Bengal head coach Julie Wright on the program's all-time wins list.

Idaho State came out swinging in the first inning, putting three runs on the board before the visitors recorded an out. Yee led off with a double to left field, and Ava Brown followed with a two-run home run to deep center to make it 2-0, her 11th bomb of the 2026 season. After Sydney Groves reached on a shortstop error and Day singled to move Groves to second, Jaden Moore's fielder's choice pushed Groves to third, and Jenna Kearns delivered a sacrifice fly to left to plate the third run and send the Bengals to the dugout with a 3-0 advantage.

Both sides were held scoreless in the second before Idaho State broke open the game again in the third. Moore doubled to left center and was replaced by pinch runner Chloe McGreevey, who scored on a Kearns double to shallow right. Belle Navarrete followed with another double to left center to score Kearns and push the lead to 5-0. Oregon State made a pitching change with two runners still on, and Yee drew a walk to load the bases, but Brown flew out to strand two and end the inning.

After a scoreless fourth, Idaho State pushed the lead to 7-0 in the fifth. Navarrete singled up the middle and McDonald singled to set the table with two outs, and Yee delivered a two-RBI single to center to score both runners. Yee then stole second, extending her afternoon, before Brown struck out to end the threat.

Tommasini was sharp through six innings, working out of two Oregon State threats while striking out five and allowing just three earned runs. Tommasini credited her approach for keeping a potent Oregon State offense off balance. "I was just attacking the zone, trusting my defense to do what they normally do and make plays, not overthinking it too much, and just trusting my stuff," she said.

Oregon State rallied in the seventh with three runs on three singles, a walk, and a sacrifice fly to close the deficit to 7-3, but Riley Wickum entered with the bases loaded and retired the final batter to preserve the win. Rich praised Wickum's composure in a key spot. "Riley did a great job coming in and finishing that game right in the heart of their order with the bases loaded," Rich said. "That was great to see."

The win was Rich's 127th career victory at Idaho State, moving him past former Bengal head coach Julie Wright on the program's all-time list. Rich acknowledged the significance of the milestone while crediting those around him. "It's a credit to the players, it's a credit to our support staff, it can't be done with just one person," Rich said. "It's a big day. It just means that we're doing things right and we're doing things really well here at Idaho State."

Brown, who homered and drove in two runs, reflected on the offensive adjustments the team made across the series after a difficult opener. "We made great adjustments. The hitters talk got better too. We were really passing the bat and picking each other up," Brown said. "We have to attack what we're great at, and when we're attacking our strengths, swinging with intent, we really just honed in on ourselves."

Yee finished 3-for-3 with a double, two RBI, a walk, and a stolen base to pace the offense. Brown went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI. Kearns drove in two runs on a double in the third inning, and Navarrete added two hits and an RBI. Moore went 2-for-4 with a double.

•       Idaho State claimed the Oregon State series two games to one, improving to 20-13 on the season with back-to-back wins after dropping the opener 9-4.

•       Friday's victory was Head Coach Andrew Rich's 127th career win at Idaho State, passing former Bengal head coach Julie Wright on the program's all-time list.

•       Alyssa Yee went 3-for-3 with a double, two RBI, a walk, and a stolen base in the series clincher. Over the three-game series, Yee batted .500 with three RBI.

•       Ava Brown homered for the second time in the series and drove in two runs. Brown batted .500 with two home runs and four RBI across the three games against Oregon State.

•       Lizzy Tommasini earned the win in Game 3, striking out five and allowing three runs over 6.1 innings. She finished the series 1-0 with a 3.32 ERA.

•       Sydney Groves led the series with five RBI across the three games, including a three-run home run in Game 2. She finished the series batting .400 with one home run.

•       Riley Wickum entered with the bases loaded in the seventh inning and retired the final batter to close out the 7-3 victory.

•       Idaho State scored three runs or more in the first inning in two of the three games against Oregon State, going 2-0 in those contests.

•       The Bengals held Oregon State to a .237 team batting average across the series, with Goluskin, Tommasini, and Wickum each contributing quality outings.

•       Sydney Groves leads the team in both home runs and RBI on the season, batting .361 with 11 home runs and 33 RBI through 33 games.

•       Alyssa Yee has scored 29 runs on the season to lead the team, batting .357 with seven stolen bases and 21 RBI.

•       Ava Brown is batting .351 with 11 home runs, 32 RBI, and 30 runs scored, one of just two Bengals with double-digit home runs alongside Groves.

•       Jaden Moore is batting .433 in 21 appearances this season, driving in seven runs while posting a .469 on-base percentage off the bench and in spot starts.

•       Marley Goluskin leads the pitching staff with a 2.72 ERA, going 6-3 with 45 strikeouts across 56.2 innings in 12 appearances.

•       Idaho State has scored 198 runs on the season with a .308 team batting average and 37 home runs, outscoring opponents 198-140 through 33 games.