GREELEY, Colo. Idaho State softball split a road doubleheader at Northern Colorado on Friday, winning the opener 10-4 before falling 4-3 in the nightcap. The Bengals stand at 28-16 overall and 4-3 in Big Sky Conference play with the series rubber match set for Saturday. Three home runs fueled a four-run fourth inning in Game 1, while Marley Goluskin struck out ten in Game 2 in a tough-luck loss decided in the final inning.
GAME 1: Idaho State 10, Northern Colorado 4
Kasey Aguinaga delivered a complete-game seven-inning victory, striking out six and allowing just three earned runs as Idaho State put up ten runs on 15 hits. The Bengals fell behind early on an unearned run in the first but answered emphatically in the fourth with a three-home-run inning.
Kearns led off the fourth with a solo home run to right center. Brown followed with a single, and Dudley launched a two-run home run to center to put Idaho State ahead 3-1. Navarrete kept the inning going with a solo home run to right field to push the lead to 4-1. The Bengals added a fifth run in the fifth on a Dudley sacrifice fly before erupting for five more in the sixth.
The sixth inning was a sustained rally built on consecutive singles. McDonald, Groves, and Moore loaded the bases on hits, and Kearns delivered an RBI single. Brown then doubled down the left field line to score two, and Robison capped the frame with a two-RBI single to make it 10-2. Northern Colorado scored twice in the sixth to set the final at 10-4.
Kearns finished 3-for-3 with a home run, two RBI, and three runs scored. McDonald went 3-for-5. Dudley hit a home run and drove in three. Brown went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI, and Robison drove in two runs. Navarrete added a solo home run.
GAME 2: Northern Colorado 4, Idaho State 3
Goluskin was dominant through six and two-thirds innings, striking out ten Northern Colorado batters, but a two-run double in the bottom of the seventh handed the Bengals a one-run defeat. Idaho State led 3-2 entering the final frame before a fielding error opened the door for the home team.
Northern Colorado scored first in the bottom of the first on an RBI single to take a 1-0 lead. Brown answered immediately in the top of the second with a solo home run to left center to tie the game at 1-1. The home team retook the lead with an RBI single in the bottom of the second to make it 2-1. Idaho State pulled even again in the fifth when Yee delivered an RBI single to score a runner from third, and the Bengals took the lead in the sixth when Robison's sacrifice fly scored Kearns to make it 3-2.
Goluskin held Northern Colorado scoreless from the third through the sixth inning while racking up strikeouts, but a leadoff error in the seventh put a runner on. A single and a two-run double to right center scored two to give the home team the 4-3 win. Goluskin finished with ten strikeouts in 6.2 innings, allowing three earned runs on ten hits.
Yee and Brown each went 2-for-3 or better in Game 2. Robison drove in a run with the sacrifice fly and Navarrete added a hit.
• Jenna Kearns went 3-for-3 in Game 1 with a home run, two RBI, and three runs scored. Her solo shot in the fourth inning opened a three-home-run frame for the Bengals.
• Idaho State hit three home runs in the fourth inning of Game 1 — Kearns, Dudley, and Navarrete each went deep in the same frame to turn a 0-1 deficit into a 4-1 lead. Navarette's homerun was the first for the Bengal infielder in the 2026 season.
• Kennedy Dudley homered and drove in three runs in Game 1, adding a sacrifice fly in the fifth inning for her fourth RBI of the game.
• Kasey Aguinaga threw a complete game in Game 1, striking out six across seven innings to improve to 12-4 on the season.
• Marley Goluskin struck out ten batters in Game 2, her highest strikeout total of the season, in 6.2 innings. It was the most strikeouts in a single game for a Bengal pitcher since the 2022 season.
• Ava Brown homered in Game 2, her 12th home run of the season, and went 2-for-3. Brown also drove in two runs in Game 1 on a double in the sixth inning.
• Camryn McDonald went 3-for-5 in Game 1 and scored once, contributing to the Bengal sixth-inning rally.
Idaho State and Northern Colorado meet in the Big Sky Conference series finale on Saturday in Greeley, first pitch is set for 12:00 PM MT.
