Owyhee’s state softball title comes ‘the hard way.’ It was easier for other local teams
Four Treasure Valley teams claimed state softball titles on Saturday afternoon, including back-to-back championships for Owyhee (6A) and Nampa Christian (3A), and a three-peat for Cole Valley Christian (4A). Middleton joined the fun with a 5A title, its first state championship since 2018.
Owyhee had to recover from a surprise Friday defeat to emerge as champions from the losers’ side of the bracket, ultimately beating Eagle twice in the championship round.
There was less stress for the other three champions, who went undefeated en route to their titles. Cole Valley cruised to a 19-4 win over Kimberly; utterly dominant Nampa Christian won 12-0 over Parma; and Middleton defeated Blackfoot 4-2.
Here’s how it all played out Saturday.
IDAHO 6A STATE SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT
OWYHEE WINS THREE STRAIGHT FOR REPEAT: Owyhee saw itself fall into the elimination side Friday with a surprising 2-0 loss to Highland. The Storm then won two games in the losers’ bracket for a rematch with Highland on Saturday morning, and showed quickly that they weren’t going to be denied.
The Storm (30-3) scored in each of the first four innings to bolt to a 13-1 lead in a game that ended after five frames. That set up the championship round with Eagle(23-8-1), where Owyhee held off the Mustangs 4-2 to set up the if-necessary game, and then rolled to a 12-5 victory for the title.
“To come back through the losers’ bracket, do it the hard way, the grit and the fight and the determination ... that may have been one of the coolest moments of all time,” Owyhee head coach John Carpenter told the Idaho Statesman. “Just a special moment for Owyhee.”
Owyhee had a three-run first inning against Highland, with Madalynn Mahaffey and Grace Groulx each getting the first of their three RBIs in the game. Both players had two-run homers in the fourth inning to stake the Storm to an 11-1 lead, and second baseman Bristol Reeves added a two-run homer.
The turning point for Owyhee in the first game against Eagle came off the bat of shortstop Avery Hessing, whose sixth-inning single scored Bradyn Herrera and Groulx to provide some breathing room and a 4-1 lead. With the momentum after winning, the Storm scored six runs to take a 6-3 lead after one lively inning in the final game.
The Mustangs’ bats cooled down, but Owyhee’s didn’t. It was 9-3 by the end of the fourth inning, and Mahaffey’s two-run homer made it 11-5 in the fifth inning, setting the stage for the final few outs that would provide a second straight title and third in four years.
“We’re trying to do it the right way. We’re trying to build that trust and that faith and that love, and these kids have bought in. And brother, we bring everybody back next year,” Carpenter said.
“We may not win it (next year), but we will be there fighting for sure.”
IDAHO 5A STATE SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT
MIDDLETON 4, BLACKFOOT 2: The Vikings capped off an undefeated state tournament run, scoring plenty to back the superb pitching of Libby Garcia, who allowed just two hits while striking out eight in the title game.
Second baseman Averi Gustafson launched a two-run homer over the center-field wall to give Middleton a 2-1 lead, and after Blackfoot tied the score, shortstop Haylee Hultner’s sacrifice fly in the fifth inning provided what would be the winning run. The Vikings (24-5) gave themselves some cushion when center fielder Sydney Qualls scored on a wild pitch later that inning.
BLACKFOOT 18, VALLIVUE 0: Vallivue’s hopes of making it an all-Treasure Valley championship round didn’t last long — only three innings, to be precise.
Blackfoot scored five runs in the first and five more in the second, then erupted for eight runs in the third inning. Vallivue had only a single hit from Sophia Kossotis.
IDAHO 4A STATE SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT
COLE VALLEY THREE-PEATS: It took just two at-bats for the Chargers (24-5) to put their first run on the board in Saturday’s state final, and they never slowed down. Cole Valley defeated Kimberly 19-4 in a five-inning game to win its second straight 4A title and its third consecutive championship overall.
“There are some great teams that we competed against, but it felt like the kids over the last three years have paved the way for us,” Cole Valley head coach Ryan Crosby told the Statesman.
The Chargers led 7-0 after one inning and tacked on six runs in both the third and fourth innings, racking up an impressive 19 hits in the process.
Shortstop Lauren Colson went a perfect 4-for-4 in the title game, including a three-run homer in the fourth inning. Catcher Brinkley Lauderdale hit a fourth-inning homer with a runner on base, and Caitlyn Trueblood sent a three-run homer sailing in the third inning.
Cole Valley entered the tournament as a No. 2-seed, but several of those losses came against teams in higher classifications, including against both 6A finalists Owyhee and Eagle.
“We felt like that was a little bit of an unfair ranking, to be honest,” Crosby said. “And so we went in on a mission, and we have a mentality of all gas, no brakes, and we come out from the first pitch.”
IDAHO 3A STATE SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT
NAMPA CHRISTIAN 12, PARMA 0: The final tally on Nampa Christian’s dominance in the 3A softball tournament is a little hard to believe. The Trojans outscored their opponents 62-1 in the minimum four games.
Nampa Christian (23-0) shut out Parma for the second straight time in the title game, winning 12-0 in five innings to repeat as champions. Trojans pitcher Peyton Shook allowed just five hits while striking out six.
Offensively, Nampa Christian erupted for six runs in the first inning to leave little doubt. A combination of errors, walks and singles preceded a two-run double from shortstop Ashlynn Swank. A five-run fourth inning from the Trojans set the final score.
Swank also hit a three-run homer in the fourth inning for a game-high five RBIs.
PARMA 7, NORTH FREMONT 6: Parma earned its runner-up spot by winning in walk-off fashion after rallying in the day’s first game, prevailing in extra innings.
Parma entered the bottom of the seventh inning trailing 6-4 and saw its first two batters strike out, giving the Panthers a single out to produce magic. That’s when Kendra Simpson and Kinlea Cole hit a pair of singles, and Nalani VanTuyl lined a hit to center field to send them both home and tie the score.
VanTuyl was called out at home plate trying to win the game with an inside-the-park home run, but she wouldn’t have to wait much longer to enjoy glory. She began the eighth inning on second base, and shortstop Maya Jensen singled to send VanTuyl home.
