Middleton baseball cruises into 6A state finals. Owyhee stays alive with walk-off bunt
Championship Saturday is set at the Idaho high school baseball state tournaments, and seven Treasure Valley teams remain in the hunt. But not all roads are created equal.
The state tournament’s new double-elimination format leaves Middleton sitting pretty in the 6A tournament, needing to win just one time Saturday. But every other Boise-area team finds itself saddled with a loss and needing to rack up three straight victories in a single day for a championship banner.
Here’s how those seven teams made it to Saturday, and the path they face for a title.
IDAHO 6A BASEBALL STATE TOURNAMENT
[Related: 6A baseball state playoff scores, brackets]
MIDDLETON 10, MOUNTAIN VIEW 2: The state tournament haunted the Middleton baseball program the past two seasons.
The decorated Vikings lost in the first round last season and fell in the semifinals two years ago, leaving both tournaments without any hardware. But Middleton exorcised some of those demons Friday, advancing to their first state championship in Idaho’s top classification in program history.
“I truly believe the past three years we had the best team in Idaho,” Middleton senior Jeremiah Keithley said. “This year, we’re even better. So we’re coming for it.”
Middleton has yet to lose in the new double-elimination format. That means the Vikings (22-4) will face the winner of Saturday’s early game between Mountain View (22-11) and Owyhee (27-3) at 2 p.m. in the championship. Middleton needs to win just one of two games for the title, with an if-necessary game at 5 p.m. should the Vikings lose at 2.
Middleton wasted little time establishing control Friday, plating four runs in the bottom of the first for the second straight day. Grady Churchfield drew first blood with an RBI single through the right side. Beau Ramsey made it 2-0 with a run-scoring fielder’s choice, and Keithley followed with a two-run single to left field.
The Vikings kept up the pressure all night, tacking on two runs in the fifth and adding four more in the sixth as Mountain View rotated through bullpen arms looking for someone to stop the bleeding. None could.
Keithley finished 3-for-4 with four RIBs, and Beau Ramsey and Kellen Viehweg each added two RBIs as Middleton racked up nine hits — all singles.
“One through nine, I think this is the best batting average a Middleton team has had in the last eight, 10 years,” Middleton coach Bryan Swygart said. “We’ve had better players, the (Robert) Orloskis and the (Trey) Swygarts and stuff like that. But as far as the lineup, it just doesn’t dry up anywhere.
“It’s a deep lineup. You’ve got to get guys out one through nine.”
The early run support allowed Middleton pitcher Ian Lenius to dial in on the mound. The senior showcased the stuff that made him a Utah commit, pumping in fastballs at 91-93 mph all evening. He finished the night giving up one run on four hits through 5 ⅓ innings, and he struck out five.
“He exceeded my expectations on the field and off of them,” Swygart said. “You’ve got to write as much about his character as who he was. Because he flipped a switch in the middle of the season and became a team player.”
Freshman Cooper Schneidt provided a late highlight for Mountain View, lifting a solo home run to left-center field in the top of the seventh. But the Mavericks face elimination at 11 a.m. Saturday against Owyhee before getting another shot at Middleton.
OWYHEE 2, COEUR D’ALENE 1: Christian Zannitto dropped a bases-loaded, walk-off squeeze bunt to extend the Storm’s season and keep their chances of another state title alive.
Owyhee battled to a 1-1 tie until the bottom of the seventh, when Easton Price reached on a two-base error and stole third. With just one out, Coeur d’Alene intentionally walked Gage Haws and Cade Walker to load the bases and face Zannitto, a sophomore.
“It’s happened all year. I love it,” Zannitto said. “... They don’t believe I can get a base hit. Most of the time it doesn’t work out for them.”
Zannitto dropped the bat head to reach a 1-0 fastball down in the zone, placing it perfectly between the mound and first base against a drawn-in infield. Price strolled in from third base and Owyhee mobbed Zannitto at first base.
Zannitto also drove in the winning run with a squeeze bunt during a 4-3 victory over Eagle in last week’s regional tournament.
“I take pride in everything,” he said. “I love that part of the game. I love stealing bags and everything. I just like the small things.”
The walk-off squeeze bunt capped a dramatic seventh inning. Coeur d’Alene looked to take control of the game when it loaded the bases with one out in the top half of the frame. But Owyhee catcher Cody Freed held on to the ball as Coeur d’Alene’s Tyler Voorhees slid into his glove for the second out. And pitcher Heath Sasser-Gunson earned a fly ball to end the threat and finish the complete game, allowing one run on four hits.
The Storm advance to the losers’ bracket semifinal, where they face Mountain View at 11 a.m. Saturday. Owyhee must win three straight games Saturday to rally for a fourth straight state title.
IDAHO 5A BASEBALL STATE TOURNAMENT
[Related: 5A baseball state playoff scores, brackets]
VALLIVUE 5, SKYVIEW 2: The Falcons broke open a tie game with three runs in the bottom of the sixth to save their season.
Vallivue’s Isaac Farrell and Baren Vadapalli hit back-to-back RBI doubles to take the lead, and Noah Delgado added a run-scoring single for an insurance run in the decisive frame.
Meanwhile, Cooper Crutcher tossed a complete game for the Falcons, holding a conference rival to two runs (one earned) on three hits for the victory.
Vallivue (26-4) advances to face top-seeded Bonneville (25-4) in another elimination game at 11 a.m. Saturday. Twin Falls awaits in the championship matchup after an 11-9 win over Bonneville.
Skyview ends the season at 19-8-1.
IDAHO 4A BASEBALL STATE TOURNAMENT
[Related: 4A baseball state playoff scores, brackets]
FRUITLAND 8, COLE VALLEY CHRISTIAN 4: One of the Treasure Valley’s two teams was going home Friday.
Coming off their first loss of the season, the top-seeded Grizzlies (27-1) built a 7-1 lead with a huge fourth inning to cruise to the win and end the Chargers’ season.
Fruitland, which lost 7-3 to Sugar-Salem on Thursday, will face Marsh Valley (26-2) at 11 a.m. Saturday at Melaleuca Field in Idaho Falls, with the winner meeting Sugar-Salem (21-4) in the finals. The Grizzlies will need to win three straight games to claim a state title.
Fruitland was in a 1-1 tie heading to the bottom of the fourth when it busted the game open, scoring six runs with a lot of help from Cole Valley (23-7), whose pitchers issued three walks and hit two batters to make it 3-1 before the Grizzlies even had a hit in the inning.
Quinn Hood then delivered a two-run double to make it 5-1, a fielder’s choice scored another run, and Coye Coffman lined a run-scoring single to score Hood.
Four Fruitland pitchers kept the Chargers at bay by getting key outs. They combined to allow just three hits but also walked nine batters.
IDAHO 3A BASEBALL STATE TOURNAMENT
[Related: 3A baseball state playoff scores, brackets]
MALAD 11, NAMPA CHRISTIAN 10: The Dragons scored seven unanswered runs in the sixth and seventh innings to rally and advance to Saturday’s championship round.
The loss dropped Nampa Christian (20-6-1) into the 11 a.m. elimination game Saturday against Marsing. The Trojans will need to win three games Saturday to bounce back for the title.
Kaden Mullins led Nampa Christian at the plate in the loss, going 2-for-2 with three RBIs and four stolen bases.
MARSING 19, OROFINO 2 (5 innings): Facing elimination and the No. 1 seed, the Huskies put on an offensive show Friday afternoon in Nampa, blitzing the Maniacs in a mercy-rule win.
Marsing (19-7), the No. 2 seed, scored five runs in each of the first two innings before adding six more runs in the fourth. Luke Steinmeyer, Teagan Kinney and Levi Puga — the heart of the order — combined to go 8-for-9 with 12 RBIs, with each driving in four. Kinney also stole four bases and Puga two.
Leadoff hitter Jace Chadez had three hits and four runs scored, and also got the win, scattering eight hits over five innings and allowing just one earned run.
This story was originally published May 16, 2025 at 11:24 PM.
