Bishop Kelly softball repeats as state champs — setting two records along the way.
On a cold, rainy afternoon in Nampa, the Bishop Kelly softball team still managed to heat up, routing Ridgevue 23-7 to take home the 4A state softball championship title for the second time in a row.
The Knights set a 4A state tournament record for the most runs scored in a game. They also set an all-class, fastpitch record by averaging 17.25 runs per game at the state tournament.
After dismal morning and afternoon showers delayed the start of the championship game by nearly three hours, the Knights (22-3) got off to a quick start, scoring 10 runs in the first inning. They never looked back en route to the 12th state title in program history.
“This is a team that really has put the time in to get what they got,” Bishop Kelly coach Missy Nichols said. She said her team, which won the title in 2019, has been practicing hard since the COVID-19 pandemic canceled last year’s season.
“Back to back with a year off in the middle,” she added.
Though the Knights lost numerous starters since 2019, the team benefited from a strong core of junior players: catcher Kayla Stoker, who transferred from Eagle this year, pitcher Pilar Cook, who transferred from Boise, and shortstop Kaysie Jolley.
Ridgevue, tired after a grueling, 8-6 win against Vallivue in the consolation semifinals that ended minutes before the final contest, began to crawl back, scoring two in the second, two in the third and three in the fourth.
But the Knights offense roared again in the bottom of the fourth, blowing open the game to take a 16-7 lead.
Ridgevue was plagued with injuries on Saturday. First baseman Layla Rogers suffered a nose injury during the day’s first game. Pitcher Sierra Escalera got drilled in the leg by a line drive in the consolation semifinals, pushing her into right field. And then in the first inning of the championship, third baseman Maddie McKay took a hard line drive off her hand. She was replaced by freshman Mikayla Garcia.
The game appeared over after Taylor Woods’ home run extended Bishop Kelly’s lead to 17-7 in the bottom of the fifth. But the 10-run mercy rule doesn’t apply in the championship game, allowing the Knights to extend the blowout.
Bishop Kelly continued the Southern Idaho Conference’s dominance at the 4A level. The SIC has won the 4A state softball title six years in a row and 18 times in the 20 years since the classification was created in 2001.
“When (the season) stopped last year, we just practiced,” said Jolley, who went 4-for-4 with a double, a home run and five RBIs. “We never stopped.”
3A SOFTBALL STATE TOURNAMENT
HOMEDALE FINISHES AS RUNNER-UP: The Trojans opened Saturday with an 11-3 win over Filer. But the Wildcats (28-7) fought their way back to the finals, then beat Homedale twice (10-8 and 5-4) to repeat as state champs.
Filer’s McCarty Stoddard drove in the state championship-winning run, lining a single to center field in the top of the seventh to break a 4-4 tie in the decisive game.
Kaitlyn Missamore, Zayne Hall and Amaia Aberasturi each went 2-for-4 with an RBI in the final game for Homedale (23-7-1).
1A SOFTBALL STATE TOURNAMENT
NOTUS TAKES SECOND: The Pirates fell 19-7 to Glenns Ferry in the 1A championship, falling just short of their second title in the past three tournaments.
Glenns Ferry (18-6) racked up 18 hits. Madi Fink went 3-for-5 with four RBIs as one of four Pilots with three hits.
Leadoff batter Lexi Cudaback led Notus (15-4) at the plate, going 3-for-5, while No. 2 hitter Savannah Darling finished 3-for-4 with an RBI and Kyndall Jensen went 3-for-3 with an RBI.
TENNIS STATE TOURNAMENTS
CLASS 5A: The Southern Idaho Conference swept the team and individual titles.
Centennial’s Ryan Olson upset teammate and top-seeded Tyler Dalos 7-6 (1), 7-6 (5) for the boys singles championship. That one-two finish propelled the Patriots to the boys team title with 36 points, two more than Eagle.
Meanwhile, Boise won the girls team title behind the doubles champion of Tessa Staley and Lauren Gee. Boise racked up 48.5 points, and Eagle finished second again with 37.
Other local champions include Capital’s Gina Dudley (girls singles), Eagle’s Kyle Garner and Shane Garner (boys doubles) and Eagle’s Alec Tzeng and Riley Bobkiewicz (mixed doubles).
CLASS 4A: Bishop Kelly continued its dominant weekend by sweeping the boys and girls team titles. BK’s boys finished with 40 points, 13.5 ahead of second-place Ridgevue. And BK’s girls steamrolled opponents to finish with 59 points, 29 ahead of second-place Hillcrest, and repeat as state champs.
Miranda Austin won a girls singles title, and the boys doubles pair of Gabe Clement and Jack Grizaffi climbed the podium for the Knights.
Middleton’s Austin Swing rolled to his second straight boys single title.
CLASS 3A: The Parma girls showcased their depth to run away with their seventh straight team title.
The Panthers only won a single event as Karli Hancock and Evan Weber made a surprise run to win the mixed doubles bracket after finishing third at district last week. But Parma racked up points with at least one placer in every bracket but boys singles.
Weiser’s Emma Tolman also brought home a title, topping Harris for the girls singles title.
This story was originally published May 22, 2021 at 10:19 PM.