10 Boise-area baseball teams won regional titles. Here’s how they made it to state
For all the flack the computer rankings take, they sure seemed to nail it this season.
The top four high school baseball teams in each classification won their regional playoffs this weekend with one exception — North Star Charter, the No. 7 seed in 2A.
The rest of the regional playoff round went according to script, even if it took a couple teams a few extra games to get there.
That sets the stage for next week’s Idaho baseball state tournaments. Below are those matchups, and the path Treasure Valley navigated to make it to state.
IDAHO BASEBALL STATE TOURNAMENT MATCHUPS
CLASS 6A
At Memorial Stadium, Garden City
- No. 2 Mountain View (22-8) vs. No. 3 Eagle (20-6), 4 p.m.
- No. 1 Owyhee (24-5) vs. No. 4 Middleton (20-10), 7 p.m.
CLASS 5A
At Melaleuca Field, Idaho Falls
- No. 2 Sandpoint (22-2) vs. No. 3 Twin Falls (27-5), 4 p.m.
- No. 1 Bonneville (22-4) vs. No. 4 Skyview (20-3), 7 p.m.
CLASS 4A
At College of Southern Idaho, Twin Falls
- No. 2 Homedale (22-6) vs. No. 3 Marsh Valley (24-6), 4 p.m.
- No. 1 Fruitland (21-2-1) vs. No. 4 Cole Valley Christian (16-9) , 7 p.m.
CLASS 3A
At Wolfe Field, Caldwell
- No. 2 Orofino (21-3) vs. No. 3 Melba (23-2), 4 p.m.
- No. 1 Malad (22-4) vs. No. 4 Salmon (22-4), 7 p.m.
CLASS 2A
At Capital High or Church Field, Lewiston
- No. 2 Kendrick (19-5) vs. No. 7 North Star Charter (13-8), 4 p.m.
- No. 1 Potlatch (21-2) vs. No. 3 Clearwater Valley (19-8), 7 p.m.
6A BASEBALL REGIONAL PLAYOFFS
[Related: Full 6A regional bracket, scores]
OWYHEE CRUISES BACK TO STATE: Rigby (16-13) intentionally walked Christian Zannitto to load the bases and face Max Menke in the bottom of the sixth inning. And Owyhee’s No. 9 hitter made the Trojans pay, lacing a line-drive, two-run single to right field to break open a 6-1 victory that sent the Storm to the state tournament for a fifth straight year.
Menke’s clutch hit capped a deadly day from the bottom of the Owyhee lineup. Shelby Pease, Zannitto and Menke — the Storm’s No. 7, 8 and 9 hitters — combined to finish 4-for-8 and drove in four of Owyhee’s six runs in the regional championship game.
“It shows you can’t take any breaks on our lineup,” Menke said. “I think our one through nine is just dominant.
“We have a lot of guys that fit the role, too. Our leadoff is a good leadoff. Our two-hole is a good two-hole. Everyone does their job. And the 7-8-9, we’ve been swinging it well all year and are especially getting hot right now.”
Menke’s two-run single turned a two-run lead into a four-run cushion, giving Owyhee breathing room in the final innings.
Sophomore Knox Thomas earned the win on the mound and turned in another solid outing in the biggest game of his young career, going four innings while giving up one run on three hits. The outing made him 4-1 with a 2.81 ERA in 12 appearances this season.
Owyhee coach Matt Rasmussen pointed to his poise under pressure after Rigby’s Bently Brower led off the third inning with a triple. Nursing a 2-1 lead, Thomas recovered and retired the next three batters in just five pitches to escape the jam.
“He’s not going to back down,” Rasmussen said. “That’s the kind of guy we need to take the mound. Guys that are not timid or ball-four guys. The guys that can go in and say my stuff is as good or better than you are, and I’m going to challenge you and get outs.”
Owyhee cruised through its regional tournament, following an 11-5, five-inning win over Thunder Ridge on Friday with Saturday’s victory. The Storm have qualified for the state tournament every year since the school opened. And in the four previous trips, Owyhee won three straight state titles before finishing second last year.
MOUNTAIN VIEW TAKES THE LONG ROAD: For the second straight year, the Mavericks won three straight games on Saturday to secure their state berth.
A 7-5 loss to Ridgevue on Friday sent Mountain View into a series of elimination games. But the Mavericks rallied with a 7-1 win over host Post Falls. They then topped Ridgevue 7-4 and 12-2 in five innings to complete the comeback.
Preston Flournoy threw four shutout innings for the win in the decisive final game. He also cranked a solo home run to lead off the fourth inning and stretch Mountain View’s lead to 10-0.
The Mavericks jumped out to a 6-0 lead in the first inning and never looked back. Ryder Hollifield and Braylon Schellhammer each ripped a two-run double in the inning to put Mountain View ahead.
The loss ends Ridgevue’s season at 14-13.
MIDDLETON WILL DEFEND TITLE: The defending state champion Vikings took care of business in Pocatello, clinching their state tournament berth with a 6-1 win over Highland on Saturday.
Vincent Donatini blasted a two-run, walk-off double for a 6-5 win over the Rams on Friday, and Grady Churchfield got Middleton off to a hot start Saturday with a solo home run to right field in the bottom of the first.
Churchfield led the Vikings with two of their six hits in Saturday’s victory. And pitchers Cam Lenius and Staton Aldrich combined to hold the Rams to one run and five hits.
EAGLE HANGS ON FOR STATE BERTH: With the tying run at second base, Eagle’s Carson Bowers induced the final groundball the Mustangs needed for a 5-4 victory over Rocky Mountain in the decisive and final game of their own regional.
Rocky Mountain started the day by taking a 16-12 slugfest over Coeur d’Alene, then forced the if-necessary game with a 4-3 win over Eagle. The Grizzlies threatened one more rally before Bowers forced Cooper Ball to ground out to second baseman Stephen Egan to finally send Eagle to the state tournament.
Eagle jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the decisive game but had to hold on from there. Jacob Ames earned the win on the mound, going six innings while giving up three runs and six hits. Bowers recorded the save in the seventh.
Caleb Zawadzki went 2-for-4 with a double and an RBI to lead the Mustangs at the plate. Sam Palfreyman, Egan and Owent Brent also added a pair of hits for Eagle.
Rocky Mountain’s Carter Fuss cut the lead to one in the seventh with a sacrifice fly. But down to their final out, the Grizzlies (15-13) couldn’t do any more damage.
5A BASEBALL REGIONAL PLAYOFFS
[Related: Full 5A regional bracket, scores]
WALK-OFF PUNCHES SKYVIEW’S STATE TICKET: Trevan Plew took one for the team.
Plew was hit by a pitch in the bottom of the seventh inning, driving in a walk-off run for a 6-5 win over Blackfoot that sent the Hawks to the state tournament.
Skyview won its regional opener at home Friday with a 12-2, six-inning victory over the Broncos before Saturday’s dramatic win.
Ledger Downs finished with two of Skyview’s four hits in the decisive win, including a double and two RBIs.
Keegan Sullivan earned the win in relief, pitching the final two innings and allowing four hits and one earned run.
TWIN FALLS RALLIES TO END BK’S SEASON: The Bruins won three straight games Saturday, including 9-7 and 17-14 decisions over Bishop Kelly, to secure their state bid.
Twin Falls’ Maddox Stadelmeir homered twice and drove in six runs, and Conner Lee added another homer and three RBIs.
The Bruins trailed 14-11 entering the sixth inning before scoring the decisive blow with a five-run outburst thanks to a two-run home run from Stadelmeir and a solo blast from Lee.
The loss ends Bishop Kelly’s season at 20-7.
4A BASEBALL REGIONAL PLAYOFFS
[Related: Full 4A regional bracket, scores]
FRUITLAND COMPLETES SWEEP: The Grizzlies routed Timberlake 14-2 in five innings to sweep their best-of-three home series.
After beating Timberlake 2-0 on Friday, Fruitland cruised Saturday behind leadoff hitter and shortstop Titus Vidlak, who went 4-for-4 with three RBIs. Jayden Grosdidier and Sutton Fitch added two hits apiece.
Owen Baker earned the win on the mound, allowing three hits and two earned runs while striking out two over three innings.
HOMEDALE ROLLS ON THE ROAD: The Trojans are headed to state thanks to a road sweep Kimberly. Homedale topped the Bulldogs 6-1 on Friday before closing out the series with a 10-0, six-inning victory Saturday.
Lukas Hall was credited with the win Saturday, pitching five shutout innings while giving up just two hits and striking out four.
Boston Ivie paced Homedale at the plate with a 3-for-3 performance, including a double and three RBIs.
COLE VALLEY ADDS TO SRV DOMINANCE: Lucas Guray pitched a four-hit shutout in a 10-0, five-inning win at South Fremont to send the Chargers to the state tournament.
Guray struck out six batters and Carson Kile, Carson Pollard and Chad Timmons each had two hits to lead the Chargers, who totaled 18 hits over the two games.
Cole Valley Christian also scored a 7-4 win on the Cougars’ home field Friday.
3A BASEBALL REGIONAL PLAYOFFS
[Related: Full 3A regional bracket, scores]
MELBA MERCY RULES ITS WAY TO STATE: The Mustangs followed a 10-0 win over North Fremont on Friday with a 16-5 beatdown of Firth on Saturday to cruise through their regional tournament.
Colter Bodily pitched all five innings Saturday, striking out two while allowing nine hits and five earned runs. He helped his own cause with a three-run triple in the fourth inning.
Aden Arrington and Jack Emery had two hits apiece for Melba, while Bradyn Albers and Cooper Brooks both had home runs.
Nampa Christian (14-12) saw its postseason run end with a 3-2 loss to top-seeded Malad. And New Plymouth (14-16) fell 4-2 to Orofino in an elimination game.
2A BASEBALL REGIONAL PLAYOFFS
[Related: Full 2A regional bracket, scores]
BATS CARRY NORTH STAR TO STATE: The Huskies racked up 23 hits in two games against Prairie at Meridian High to sweep their best-of-three regional series.
North Star used an 11-run seventh inning for an 18-4 win on Friday, then followed it up with a 9-1 victory Saturday.
Teague Fox earned a complete-game win Saturday, striking out nine and allowing one run on three hits.
Eight North Star Charter players registered a hit Saturday, led by Andrew Marron’s 2-for-3 outing with a pair of RBIs.
Meanwhile, Garden Valley (8-8) fell 14-2 in six innings to Potlatch in a season-ending loss.
