Idaho state softball: Eagle, Owyhee, Middleton among first-round winners
Thursday marked the start of the 2026 Idaho high school softball state tournaments. Numerous Treasure Valley schools are in the running for state championships, and several of them won their first games to advance into the winner’s brackets in the double-elimination events.
Owyhee and Eagle recorded important first-round wins in the 6A bracket, while Vallivue (5A), Cole Valley Christian (4A), Nampa Christian (3A) and Parma (3A) all moved on to winner’s side.
Here’s a recap of all of Thursday’s highlights.
IDAHO 6A STATE SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT
OWYHEE 3, ROCKY MOUNTAIN 1: The Storm put together more than enough runs for starting pitcher Hailey Brennan to steal the show. Brennan struck out 14 batters across seven innings while allowing just two hits.
Rocky Mountain’s one run came in the fourth inning, when first baseman Addyson Rundell drove in pitcher Megan McCormick on a groundout to first base. Owyhee shortstop Avery Hessing ended up being the difference maker on offense for the Storm, driving in two runs on a hard single to center field in the fourth inning.
HIGHLAND 13, MOUNTAIN VIEW 3 (6 inn): No. 5 Mountain View will meet up with No. 8 Rocky Mountain falling to Highland.
Mountain View third baseman Courtney Austin hit a solo home run on the second at-bat of the game to give the Mavericks early momentum, but Highland took that away with a 5-1 lead by the end of the second inning.
Austin also grounded into a fielder’s choice in the fourth inning to score a run, while center fielder Kaydence Canfield batted in Mountain View’s final run in the fifth inning. Highland put together a six-run sixth to end the game an inning early.
EAGLE 12, CAPITAL 2 (5 inn): No. 2 Eagle was in control of Thursday’s matchup against Capital, taking a 6-2 lead after two innings and never looking back.
Right fielder Alyssa Orchard drove in five runs, including a three-run, inside-the-park home run in the second inning. She also hit a single in the fifth and final inning to score two runs and initiate the mercy rule.
All three of Capital’s hits came in the first two innings, including a home run from left fielder Cora Terry. Eagle pitcher Peyton Bargen threw all five innings and went 2-for-2 with an RBI.
IDAHO 5A STATE SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT
MIDDLETON 7, TWIN FALLS 2: First baseman Adelyn McPherson hit two home runs to propel No. 1 Middleton into the winner’s bracket. McPherson hit a solo home run in the second inning after Twin Falls took a 2-0 lead, and then hit another solo shot in the fifth inning to extend the Lady Vikes’ lead to 5-2.
Middleton pitcher Samantha Miller got off to a rocky start, allowing a walk and two hits in the first inning to give Twin Falls the early lead. She then went on to allow just two hits the rest of the game and struck out eight.
VALLIVUE 8, BURLEY 7: Vallivue pitcher Maris Farner went through every range of emotion on Thursday night as she went from potentially losing the game to winning it.
After a crazy fourth inning that saw both teams score six runs, Vallivue entered the seventh inning with a slender 7-6 lead. But with Burley down to its final out, catcher Aaliyah Olmos hit a double off Farner to tie the game.
In the bottom half, Farner came to bat with two outs and smacked a ball into center field that scored shortstop Journey Eagle with the winning run.
IDAHO 4A STATE SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT
PRESTON 12, WEISER 5: A frantic final three frames saw a 1-1 game heading into the fifth inning explode as No. 4 Weiser dropped into the losers’ bracket.
Preston cracked the game open with a three-run fifth inning, courtesy of a pair of walks and a pair of doubles against Weiser pitcher Madi Janicek. Weiser scored one run in the bottom of the inning before Preston scored four in the top of the sixth.
Weiser responded by scoring three runs with two outs in the sixth inning to get within 8-5: Ellie Shirts doubled in a run; her sister, Sophia, scored on a passed ball; and Ellie stole home.
Preston left no doubt, though, with four runs in the final inning. Weiser will face Marsh Valley in an elimination game on Friday at 9 a.m.
COLE VALLEY 11, FRUITLAND 1 (5 inn): A pair of Treasure Valley schools faced off in a game that lasted only five innings as No. 2 Cole Valley ripped off a seven-run fourth inning to get to the mercy rule.
Center fielder Gianni Maniaci led Cole Valley with three RBIs, while shortstop Lauren Colson recorded a hit in all three plate appearances. The Grizzlies’ sole run came in the fourth inning courtesy of catcher Faith Newman stealing home.
Fruitland helped the Chargers by committing nine errors.
IDAHO 3A STATE SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT
NAMPA CHRISTIAN 21, FIRTH 0 (5 inn): The No. 1-seeded Trojans put the rest of the field on alert with a wild mercy-rule victory over Firth. Nampa Christian put together a 14-run fourth inning to end the game early.
Catcher Addison Gray and right fielder Kaitlyn Kinzer led the way with three hits apiece, while shortstop Ashlynn Swank batted in five runs on three hits. Pitcher Quenna Hartley put together a scoreless five innings, allowing just three hits.
PARMA 8, NORTH FREMONT 2: Parma center fielder Kinlea Cole was the star of the show, with four hits, two RBIs and four runs scored for the No. 2-seeded Huskies. The last of those hits, a triple in the sixth inning, knocked in two to extend Parma’s lead to 6-2. Catcher Nalani Vantuyl followed with a two-run homer.
Parma pitcher Wesli Crockett held things down. After loading the bases and allowing two runs in the second inning, she allowed only four hits the rest of the game.
IDAHO 2A STATE SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT
HORSESHOE BEND, IDAHO CITY ELIMINATED: No. 5 Horseshoe Bend started its day by falling into a 10-0 hole against No. 4 Genesee in the opening three innings. The Mustangs rallied with seven runs but ultimately lost 10-7. Horseshoe Bend then lost 4-0 to No. 2 Clearwater Valley to cut short its state tournament run.
Meanwhile, No. 6 Idaho City was shut out 10-0 by Glenns Ferry before falling 16-8 to Genesee. Idaho City enjoyed a seven-run fourth inning against Genesee but could not rally all the way.
This story was originally published May 14, 2026 at 10:29 PM.
