POCATELLO, Idaho — Idaho State used a steady start on the mound and an explosive middle innings at the plate to defeat Montana, 10-1, in six innings Monday afternoon at Direct Communications Field at Miller Ranch Stadium, advancing the top-seeded Bengals to the semifinals of the 2026 Big Sky Softball Tournament.

Marley Goluskin was crisp in the circle from the first pitch, working all six innings, allowing just one earned run on six hits while striking out three. The Bengals' defense played a clean game behind her, committing no errors as Idaho State improved to 36-18 on the season.

"Our group's experience really showed today," head coach Andrew Rich said. "They stayed calm through the start of the game and stayed the course. Marley was great in the circle again, and it was great to get the offense rolling in the middle of that one."

Montana threatened in the third inning with a leadoff single and a rally that produced the game's lone visitors' run, but Goluskin settled in and retired the side in order in the fourth and fifth innings to keep Idaho State firmly in control.

The Bengals broke through in the second inning when Belle Navarrete drove a double to deep left field to plate Jaden Moore, who had singled up the middle two batters earlier. That 1-0 advantage held through three as Idaho State threatened but left runners stranded.

The fourth inning broke the game open. Navarrete singled to first base to score pinch runner Chloe McGreevey for the first run of the frame, then Camryn McDonald drove in another with a sacrifice fly to left-center. Ava Brown then delivered the big blow of the inning, launching a two-run home run to deep center field that cleared the bases and pushed the lead to 4-1.

Montana made a pitching change to open the fifth, but Idaho State's bats stayed warm. Kira Day led off the sixth with a single, and after a McDonald RBI double to right-center plated Navarrete, Jenna Kearns singled to shallow center to score McDonald and push Rebecca Quinn to third. Day then capped the scoring with a three-run home run to deep center field, her second hit of the game, that made it 10-1 and triggered the run rule win for the Orange and Black

"Ava has been working really hard the past few weeks to find a good feel in her swing and she's in a great rhythm, her swings today showed that," Rich said. "Kira has been having great at bats, and I loved that moment for her. She got a good pitch to hit and didn't miss it."

Day finished the game 2-for-4 with three RBI and two runs scored. Brown went 2-for-4 with a home run and two RBI. McDonald was 2-for-3 with a double, two RBI, and a run scored. Navarrete was a perfect 3-for-3 with two RBI. Kearns added two hits and an RBI as well.

Idaho State will face No. 3 seed Sacramento State in the tournament semifinals on Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. at Miller Ranch Stadium.

Bengal Bites

• Marley Goluskin earned her 12th win of the season, improving to 12-4 on the year. She worked all six innings, allowing one earned run on six hits while striking out three. On the season she carries a 2.32 ERA over 105.2 innings pitched with 80 strikeouts in 21 appearances.
• The Bengals' win over Montana was the first Big Sky tournament game agains the Griz in the Andrew Rich era of the team. 
• ISU scored 10 runs in a tournament game for the 2nd year in a row.
• Kira Day's three-run home run in the sixth was hit with the bases loaded, clearing them to cap the scoring. Day finished 2-for-4 with three RBI and a run scored. She now has 11 home runs and 35 RBI on the season with a .333 average in 42 games played.
• Ava Brown's two-run home run in the fourth was her 14th of the season. She finished 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored, pushing her season line to .327 with 52 hits, 47 RBI, and 14 home runs in 53 games.
• Camryn McDonald went 2-for-3 with a double, two RBI, a sacrifice fly, and a run scored. The sophomore shortstop is batting .426 on the season — tops on the roster — with 55 hits, 17 RBI, and three home runs in 50 games.
• Belle Navarrete went 3-for-3 with two RBI and a run scored. Her bunt single to open the sixth inning started the decisive five-run rally. On the season she is hitting .280 with 28 hits and 10 doubles in 45 games.
• Sydney Groves walked three times without an official at-bat, reaching base in all four plate appearances. She scored one run and drew the walk that set up the Kearns RBI single in the sixth. Groves leads the team with 58 RBI and 18 home runs on the season.
• Jenna Kearns was 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored. Her first-pitch single to shallow center in the sixth plated McDonald and pushed the lead to 9-1. Kearns is batting .345 on the season with 50 hits, 28 RBI, and five triples.
• Idaho State committed zero errors and turned a double play in the contest. The Bengals are fielding at a .968 clip as a team this season.
• The win gives Idaho State a current winning streak of three games. The Bengals are 11-0 on the season when scoring 10 or more runs.
• Idaho State advances to the Big Sky Tournament semifinals to face No. 3 Sacramento State on Tuesday, May 5 at 4:00 p.m. at Direct Communications Field at Miller Ranch Stadium.