POCATELLO, Idaho - Idaho State softball capped a dominant week with a 9-1 run-rule victory over Seattle University on Sunday at Miller Ranch Stadium, completing a three-game sweep and closing out non-conference play at 23-13. The Bengals scored five runs in the second inning and four more in the fourth before the run rule ended proceedings after five innings. It was the team's seventh game in seven days and sixth in four days, and Head Coach Andrew Rich credited the team's energy and execution throughout. "We jumped on them early and played well in all three phases of the game," Rich said. "When we do that, we're gonna be really hard to beat."
Idaho State 9, Seattle U 1 (5 innings)
With a heavy workload on the pitching staff heading into the final game of the week, Rich deployed a planned three-pitcher rotation. Lizzy Tommasini opened with two sharp innings, holding Seattle hitless with two strikeouts. Riley Wickum followed for two innings before Kasey Aguinaga closed out the final frame. "The plan today was Lizzie for two, Riley for a couple and then Casey to finish it out," Rich said. "Lizzie threw great, Riley threw awesome. We played good defense and Casey was solid to finish out."
Idaho State wasted no time building a commanding lead in the second inning. Jenna Kearns led off with a solo home run to deep left field. Navarrete reached on a bunt single, Dudley drew a walk, and Williams was hit by pitch to load the bases. Camryn McDonald delivered an RBI single up the middle to score Navarrete, and Alyssa Yee followed with a three-run double to left field, clearing the bases and sending Idaho State to the dugout ahead 5-0.
Seattle managed its only run in the third inning on a stolen home, cutting the deficit to 5-1. Idaho State answered emphatically in the fourth. Williams drew a leadoff walk, and McDonald launched a two-run home run to deep left to make it 7-1. Yee singled, stole second, and Moore capped the scoring with a two-run home run to deep right field to push the lead to 9-1. Aguinaga came on in the fifth and retired Seattle in order to trigger the run rule and send the Bengals home with the sweep.
Moore, who has been a key contributor in the lineup in recent weeks, hit her second home run of the season on Sunday. She described her approach at the plate that has fueled her recent success. "Really just finding my pitch early in the count," Moore said. "Attacking early and just trying to get runners on, move them over and find a home."
Rich closed out non-conference play expressing confidence in where the team stands heading into the Big Sky Conference schedule. "I think we've really found ourselves and how we play best," he said. "Just be ourselves and do what we do. Find ways to get on base, swing with intent, attack the zone, play clean defense and we're in a great spot. It felt like a long season so far, waiting to get to Big Sky play, and now we get the five-week sprint to the finish line."
Yee led the offense with two hits, a double, and three RBI. McDonald also finished 2-for-2 with a home run and three RBI. Moore drove in two runs on her home run, and Kearns contributed a solo shot in the second inning.
• Idaho State finished non-conference play 23-13 and enters Big Sky Conference play on a five-game winning streak, having gone 5-2 on the week against Oregon State and Seattle University.
• The Bengals are 10-2 at home this season and have won five consecutive home games. Idaho State is 20-5 when scoring first and 21-0 when leading after six innings.
• Camryn McDonald homered for the second consecutive game and drove in three runs on Sunday. Over the last 11 games, McDonald is batting .464 with two home runs and eight RBI.
• Jaden Moore hit her second home run of the season on Sunday and is batting .439 on the season with 11 RBI across 24 appearances. She has not struck out in any of her 41 at bats this season.
• Alyssa Yee went 2-for-3 with a three-RBI double on Sunday and leads the team with nine stolen bases. She is batting .349 with 24 RBI on the season.
• Lizzy Tommasini earned the win with two hitless innings to open the game, improving to 5-3 on the season. The planned three-pitcher approach of Tommasini, Wickum, and Aguinaga was designed by Head Coach Andrew Rich to manage workloads after a heavy week.
• Marley Goluskin leads the pitching staff with a 2.58 ERA and is 7-3 in 13 appearances. Over the last 12 games, Idaho State's pitching staff posted a 2.63 ERA and held opponents to a .228 batting average.
• Idaho State has hit 41 home runs on the season and is batting .307 as a team. The Bengals are 19-0 when they out-hit their opponent and 12-8 when scoring six or more runs.
• Idaho State opens Big Sky Conference play next weekend at home against Weber State. First pitch Saturday is 1:00 PM, with Game 2 to follow at 3:30 PM.
2026 NON-CONFERENCE WRAP-UP
Idaho State closes the non-conference portion of its 2025-26 season at 23-13, entering Big Sky Conference play with a five-game winning streak and a team that Rich described as having found itself over the final three to four weeks of the non-conference stretch.
The Bengals were dominant at Miller Ranch Stadium, going 10-2 at home while outscoring opponents 216 to 148 across 36 games. Idaho State went 20-5 when scoring first and was a perfect 21-0 when leading after six innings. The Bengals also posted a 19-0 record when out-hitting their opponent, a telling sign of a lineup that produced a .307 team batting average and 41 home runs on the season.
Several key stretches defined the non-conference campaign. An eight-game winning streak from late February through early March stood as the longest of the season and included a five-game home sweep of Maine and Southern Utah, a road win at Utah State, and a two-game sweep at San Diego. The run came on the heels of a difficult start at neutral sites in February that left the Bengals at 12-12 at one point. A series victory over Oregon State and a three-game sweep of Seattle University to close out non-conference play reinforced the team's identity as it heads into the Big Sky schedule. The Oregon State series also featured a walk-off home run from Camryn McDonald in the 12th inning, Idaho State's first-ever win in a 12-inning game.
Offensively, Alyssa Yee led the team in hits (38), doubles (10), stolen bases (9), and runs scored (tied with Brown at 31), finishing with a .349 average and 24 RBI. Sydney Groves led the team in RBI (34) and home runs (tied with Ava Brown at 11), batting .336 with a .720 slugging percentage. Brown contributed 33 RBI, 11 home runs, and 31 runs scored while drawing a team-high 16 walks. Kira Day produced one of the most efficient offensive seasons on the roster, batting .328 with a team-best .828 slugging percentage among regular contributors, posting nine home runs in just 64 at bats. Jaden Moore, primarily used off the bench and in spot starts, led all players with a .439 average in 41 at bats without a single strikeout.
On the mound, Marley Goluskin was the staff ace, posting a 2.58 ERA with a team-low .239 opponent batting average and 49 strikeouts across 62.1 innings in 13 appearances. Kasey Aguinaga led the staff in wins (8-4), innings pitched (69.0), and appearances (17), posting a 3.14 ERA and adding a save. Riley Wickum went 3-3 with a 3.79 ERA and three complete games, while Lizzy Tommasini finished 5-3 with a 5.81 ERA in a swing role. The staff combined for a 4.00 ERA, six complete games, and held opponents to a .271 average across 222.1 innings.
Idaho State's most significant statistical tendencies entering conference play paint an encouraging picture. The Bengals are 14-3 when scoring in the first inning and 4-3 in one-run games after going 2-5 in such contests early in the year. The team's longest losing streak was three games. Idaho State is also 9-2 when hitting two or more home runs in a game and 15-2 when holding opponents to two runs or fewer.
Idaho State opens Big Sky Conference play next Saturday and Sunday at home against Weber State at Miller Ranch Stadium.
