‘It feels incredible’: Borah makes history with state softball title. Cole Valley, too

There was Megan Meracle’s arm. And sophomore Olyvia Chalifoux’s bat. And a “special group” of senior starters.

There also was second-year head coach Steve Birkby’s straightforward message after Borah’s softball team lost its first game of the 5A state tournament Saturday.

“I told the girls that they have nothing to lose. ... Have fun and compete!” Birkby told the Idaho Statesman via text message Saturday evening.

They didn’t lose. And then they had the most fun. Historical fun.

The Lions won the first fastpitch softball state championship in school history Saturday, defeating defending state champion Owyhee 12-8 in the decisive game at Post Falls High School. That victory came after Owyhee’s 6-1 win forced a second game in the finals of the double-elimination tournament.

It also completed a remarkable tournament run for Borah (18-10), which finished fifth in the 5A Southern Idaho Conference regular-season standings, needed to win a play-in game to make it state and entered as the tournament’s No. 7 seed. The Lions dispatched the 2, 3 and 4 seeds on their way to taking down No. 1 seed Owyhee.

“It hasn’t really sunk in yet and I don’t think it will until the bus ride home,” said Meracle, the winning pitcher in every victory. “It feels incredible knowing that as a team that no one believed in, we managed to get the biggest title in high school softball. I’m so proud of my girls.”

Birkby said that “Megan pitched a helluva state tournament,” and that’s putting it mildly. She struck out 57 batters in five games, threw a one-hitter against Eagle and allowed two earned runs in the team’s first three victories. Then she kept Owyhee’s powerful lineup at bay long enough for her teammates to step up with the offense.

That happened in the fifth inning of the championship game. Borah was nursing a 2-1 lead when Chalifoux stepped to the plate to lead off. She singled, and came around to score.

Chalifoux stepped to the plate a little bit later in that same inning with the bases loaded, and she hit the ball farther.

A lot farther.

Over the center-field fence.

That grand slam capped an eight-run inning to make it 10-1, a lead that Meracle and the Lions were not going to surrender.

“I just remember going up with bases loaded, full count, two outs, and taking several deep breaths,” Chalifoux said. “I knew I wanted to be on time and get a hit. So when I did and it went out, I was surprised but so happy.”

Senior Rylee Nelson hammered a two-run double to center in the big inning, and senior Abigail Gardner also had a run-scoring hit. They and Meracle were part of what Birkby called a “special group of seniors starting varsity for four years” who kept the team focused and together.

“Their hard work has paid off to be the state champions!” Birkby said.

Meracle bounced back from injuries this season to be ready for the postseason run, and her coach said it was “amazing how she overcame obstacles.”

“This was my dream since freshman year and I was prepared to do whatever it took to get there,” Meracle said.

4A

Bishop Kelly falls: The top-seeded Knights entered Saturday just waiting for the survivor from the losers’ bracket, needing just one win to get their state title train chugging along again.

Instead, No. 2 seed Pocatello rose up and seized the day. The Thunder avenged an 11-1 loss to BK on Friday by winning 15-2 to force a deciding game, which they won 3-1 to take the championship.

Bishop Kelly (23-5) had its bats quieted by Pocatello pitchers Miah Lusk and Taylee Rogers in the finals, getting just seven hits in the two games. Lusk threw a complete-game two-hitter to bring the Thunder the championship, striking out 13.. She also was the winner in the first game, tossing four innings and striking out 11.

A solo homer by Ava Armuth produced the Knights’ only run in the second game.

Bishop Kelly now will have to wait ‘till next year to try to bring home yet another softball title. BK has won 10 this century, including three straight in 2019, ‘21 and ‘22. (There was no tournament in 2020 because of COVID.)

3A

Kimberly 9, Homedale 6: The Trojans fell short against the top-seeded Bulldogs, who repeated as state champs.

Homedale (19-7) bounced back from an 11-0 loss to Kimberly on Friday with a 16-12 win over Timberlake on Saturday morning to get a second shot in the finals. But a four-run sixth inning fueled by Homedale errors broke a tie and gave the Bulldogs the title.

The Trojans outhit Kimberly 8-6, but four errors led to six unearned runs scored against pitcher Olivia Osumendi. Lily Trescot drove in a pair of runs for Homedale, and Osumendi had a two-run double. Leadoff hitter Dani Sitts was 3-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI.

2A

Cole Valley Christian wins title: The Chargers had Friday night to think about a 9-8 loss to top-seeded Malad, the most dominant 2A softball program of the past decade, that sent them to the losers’ bracket.

They completed the comeback from that loss by winning 8-7 in Orofino in extra innings in the second finals game to claim the first softball championship in school history and deny the Dragons a fifth straight state title.

“It feels incredible,” Cole Valley coach Ryan Crosby said. “This team loves each other more than any team I’ve ever been a part of.

“Everyone showed up today just thinking, hey, we got a hard road, but one out, one inning at a time. We went out and got it done.”

No. 2 seed Cole Valley (25-6) defeated New Plymouth 10-5 on Saturday to make the finals, and then stormed to an 8-2 win over Malad. The Chargers built a 7-2 lead in the championship game after four innings, only to see Malad tie the score with two runs in the top of the seventh.

In the bottom of the eighth, with a runner starting on second base per softball rules, Mia Leib’s bunt sent catcher Johanna Fowler — who normally isn’t counted on to run bases, Crosby noted — to third. Maren Brushy then lined an out to left field that was deep enough to score Fowler with the winning run.

Crosby said there was no panic after Malad rallied to tie the score.

“The mood was like, hey, we’re going to win this,” he said. “These girls are just cool competitors.”

Lauren Colson went 2-for-4 in both finals games and drove in five runs, including a two-run homer in the decisive game. Lola Crosby and Karlie Barnum also had two hits and two RBIs apiece in the second game.

Barnum was nothing short of stellar on the day for Cole Valley Christian. She was the winning pitcher in all three games, and she went seven innings and struck out 12 in the first win over Malad. She finally had to leave the second game with exhaustion, Crosby said, after pitching 19 total innings.

“We started the season with a bigger reason than just to win, and that was to play for an audience of one, and that was what got us here today,” Crosby said.

This story was originally published May 18, 2024 at 8:33 PM.