Prep recap: Timberline surges into district. Vallivue tosses shutout. Bishop Kelly cruises
GAME OF THE DAY
The Timberline High softball program battled through some lean years. But the former powerhouse continued to prove it’s a serious threat Tuesday.
The Wolves rallied in the bottom of the sixth inning to top Kuna 4-1, wrapping up the final day of the 5A Southern Idaho Conference regular season on a positive note and showcasing the late-game heroics they have made common this season.
“It’s crazy,” Timberline coach Todd Amundson said. “We’ve done that a lot this year where we kind of hang with whatever team we’re playing with. And at the end, for whatever reason, these kids are kind of the cardiac kids, and they just come through.”
Timberline (19-5, 12-4 5A SIC) heads into the 12-team district tournament as the No. 2 seed and with its best squad in years. The Wolves’ 19 wins are already the program’s most since 2011, when they went 25-3 and finished second at state.
Those days seemed like a distant memory when Amundson took over the Wolves four years ago. Timberline missed the state tournament seven years in a row from 2013-19 and posted six losing seasons, including a 0-25 campaign in 2016.
But a group led by senior Amber Thornton, a Boise State signee, and an influx of freshmen and sophomores changed the trajectory of the program. Tuesday’s rally stood as a perfect example.
Kuna (12-9-1, 9-7) pitcher Ashlyn Crone stymied the Wolves through five innings, but they loaded the bases with no outs in the sixth. Timberline’s Kaylee Lewchenko tied the score with a sacrifice fly. Freshman Delaney Wright ripped a two-out, two-run double to center field to break the game open.
She also scored on the play thanks to a throwing error, turning a 1-1 tie into a 4-1 lead with a single swing.
“It shows our heart for the game,” Thornton said. “We didn’t give up. In past years, we kind of just laid down at the end. That’s what makes this team different.”
The Wolves don’t plan on stopping now. Undefeated and reigning state champ Skyview enters the district tournament as the heavy favorite, but Timberline pushed the Hawks (22-0) as hard as anyone this year, falling 5-4 and 8-4.
Amundson warns that the 5A SIC runs eight teams deep, making the district tournament a gauntlet. But he added Timberline has its eyes on improving upon last year’s two-and-out performance at state.
“The goal here is, obviously, to get to that state tournament again,” Amundson said. “But then to do some damage.”
TUESDAY’S HIGHLIGHTS
- Mason Millar, Capital (baseball): Hit a pair of solo home runs to power the Eagles to an 8-5 victory over Meridian.
Treyton Swygart, Middleton (baseball): Doubled and drove in two runs as the Vikings beat Ridgevue 9-3 to clinch the 4A SIC regular-season title.
- Owen Bowers, Vallivue (baseball): Threw a two-hit shutout and struck out five in a 4-0 win vs. Caldwell. He also went 1-for-2 with a double and two RBIs.
- AJ Jones, Bishop Kelly (baseball): Ripped a grand slam and drove in seven runs as the Knights routed Nampa 15-3.
- Ysabella Villegas, Bishop Kelly (softball): Cranked two home runs and went 3-for-3 to headline a 26-hit day for the Knights in a 26-3 win vs. Nampa.
- Hailey Stevenson, Emmett (softball): Went 3-for-4 with two home runs and four RBIs to beat Columbia 16-6.
This story was originally published May 3, 2022 at 10:33 PM.
