Three games, two teams, one trophy

Saturday, April 25

Missoula, Mont.

1 PM

Montana

Idaho State

Photo by: Coral Scoles-Coburn/University of Montana

4/22/2026 6:38:00 PM | Softball

PDF Game Notes

By: Montana Sports Information

The Montana softball team will wrap up its regular-season schedule this weekend with a home series against Idaho State at Grizzly Softball Field in Missoula.

The teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday starting at 1 p.m. Sunday's finale, which will double as Senior Day, will have first pitch at noon.

The double-elimination Big Sky Conference Championship will open on Monday, May 4, in Pocatello, Idaho.

Coverage: The entire series will stream on ESPN+, with Saturday's doubleheader getting additional coverage on SWX. The voice of Montana's biggest moments, Riley Corcoran, will call all three games.

The perfect storm: Montana and Idaho State are tied atop the Big Sky standings at 8-4, two games clear of the chase pack, and will get to determine the league's regular-season champion in a head-to-head setting.

The winner of the series will earn the regular-season championship, will take the No. 1 seed into next month's Big Sky tournament and will get to host the 2027 Big Sky tournament.

The loser of the series will be in contention for the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye at this year's Big Sky tournament but neither Montana nor Idaho State is assured of the No. 2 seed at this point.

Why the series is so delightful: Idaho State won last year's regular-season title by three games and was picked for a first-place finish this spring by every other coach in the league in the preseason poll.

The Bengals, who are trying to win their sixth regular-season title since the Big Sky began sponsoring softball in 2013, had five players on the preseason All-Big Sky team, highlighted by preseason MVP Ava Brown.

Montana, which is trying to win its first-ever regular-season championship, was a unanimous pick for last in the preseason poll and did not have a single player make the preseason All-Big Sky team.

The Grizzlies went 1-14 in league in both 2024 and '25 and entered this season 2-36 in their last 38 games against Big Sky opponents, including the postseason.

One team was expected to be in this position, one team wasn't.

A bit of déjà vu: Montana was in a similar position going into its final league series in both 2016 and '17, both of those coming against Weber State.

In 2016, Montana needed to end the year with a three-game sweep of the Wildcats in Missoula to share the regular-season title with Sacramento State.

The Grizzlies swept a Friday doubleheader and was in a 7-7 game going into the sixth in Game 3 before the Wildcats won 9-7 as Weber State edged ahead of the Hornets in what was, to date, the most electric atmosphere for a game ever at Grizzly Softball Field.

In 2017, Montana traveled to Weber State also needing a sweep. The Grizzlies won the first two games, setting up a winner-take-all Game 3.

Montana, needing a win to host the next week's Big Sky tournament, built a 4-0 lead in the top of the third but Weber State scored once in the bottom of the seventh on a two-out single to pull even at 5-5, then won it 6-5 with a run in the bottom of the eighth.

Montana hasn't been close to being in that situation since. Until this weekend.

How they got here (Montana): The Grizzlies opened league with a home sweep of Portland State, then went 1-2 against Northern Colorado, in Missoula, and Sacramento State, on the road.

Montana swept a three-game series at Weber State last week to move into a tie with Idaho State.

How they got here (Idaho State): The Bengals won two of three in their first four league series, getting three of those four series at home.

The nature of three of Idaho State's four Big Sky losses are the frustrating reason (for them) that the Bengals are not in control of the conference race going into the final weekend.

They lost 11-8 at home to Weber State after allowing the Wildcats to go up 7-0 in the top of the first.

They took a 3-2 lead to the bottom of the seventh at Northern Colorado and lost 4-3 on a two-out, two-run double, an at-bat that only came about because of a lead-off error.

They lost 8-7 in eight innings at home on Saturday to Sacramento State after giving up a six-run top of the first. In the bottom of the eighth, down 8-7, the Bengals had the bases loaded with one out and ended the game with two swinging strikeouts.

Streak busters: Montana has been snapping streaks every Big Sky series this season.

* When the Grizzlies opened their home series against Portland State on March 28 with a doubleheader sweep, it assured that Montana would put an end to a 19-series losing streak that dated back to 2022.

The two wins, in just two games, also matched the Big Sky wins totaled in 2024 and '25 combined.

When the Grizzlies followed up with another win to sweep the series, it was their first Big Sky series sweep since 2022.

* When Montana opened its series against Northern Colorado with a 10-0 win, it put an end to a nine-game losing streak to the Bears. It was also the largest margin of victory in a shutout of a Division I opponent in program history.

* When Montana opened its series at Sacramento State with a 9-6 win, a game the Grizzlies led 9-2 and almost run-ruled, it snapped a 14-game losing streak to the Hornets and gave Montana its first win over Sacramento State at Shea Stadium since 2017.

* When Montana opened its series at Weber State with a 4-2 win, it ended a 10-game losing streak to the Wildcats and was the Grizzlies' first win over Weber State in Ogden since 2017.

When Montana finished off the sweep two games later, it was the Grizzlies' first-ever series sweep of Weber State.

Game 1 wins the key to success: Montana has won the opening game in its first four series this season and those games were not close.

The Grizzlies outscored the Vikings, Bears, Hornets and Wildcats 28-8 in those games, batting .321 while hitting eight home runs in four games.

Sophomore Carah Sweet made the start in all four games and went 4-0 with a 1.48 ERA, throwing complete-game shutouts of Portland State and Northern Colorado.

She limited those opponents in those games to a .213 batting average.

Montana flexes its batting muscles: The Grizzlies hit a home run in just eight of their first 25 games this season, totaling 12 in that stretch.

Montana is now threatening the program record of 43 home runs for a season, set by the 2022 team.

The Grizzlies have hit 28 home runs over their last 21 games, eight times during that stretch hitting multiple home runs in a game.

Montana matched the single-game program record of five home runs in its 11-8 comeback victory over Weber State in Game 2 of that series.

The Grizzlies previously hit five home runs in games against Carroll in 2022 and Jackson State in 2020.

More notes from the Weber State series:

* When Montana overcame a 6-0 deficit to win 11-6 in Game 2, it matched the third-highest deficit overcome in a victory in program history.

* The Grizzlies trailed 6-5 going into the top of the seventh, when Montana scored six times on three home runs. The Grizzlies had lost their last 50 games when behind going into the seventh inning.

* It was only Montana's third win this season in 26 games when the opponent scored first.

* Montana's three home runs in the top of the seventh was the first time in program history the Grizzlies have hit three in one inning.

* Freshman Jessica Cherms hit a solo home run to lead off the fifth, then hit another solo shot in the seventh. She became just the second freshman in program history to hit two home runs in a game. (Lexie Brenneis vs. North Dakota in 2015.)

* Montana scored 11 runs in Game 2 against Weber State, 11 more in Game 3. It was the first time since 2022 that the Grizzlies scored 10-plus runs in consecutive games.

* Montana's 18 hits in Game 3 were the most since 2021, the sixth-most in a game in program history.

* Montana scored in all seven innings in Game 3. It was the first game in program history that the Grizzlies had seven innings of at-bats and scored in each of them.

* Now 8-4 in league, Montana is assured of its first winning record in Big Sky play since 2019 and just the fourth winning record in league in program history.

* The sweep gave Montana seven true road wins this season, matching the seven road wins from the previous three seasons combined.

Anna Cockhill, standing by for the green light: Sophomore Anna Cockhill is idling on 37 stolen bases for her career, leaving her within two of Gabby Martinez's program record of 39, which she set from 2015-18.

Cockhill had a program-record 27 as a freshman and has added 10 more as a sophomore. Her last stolen base came on April 7.

More on the Idaho State challenge:

* Montana has dropped eight straight games to the Bengals, giving up 76 runs in those eight games (9.5/g). Idaho State once again has the Big Sky's top offensive attack.

* The Bengals rank in the top 50 nationally in doubles (12th, 85), slugging percentage (30th, .554), home runs (36th, 64), RBIs (38th, 283), hits (39th, 400) and runs (43rd, 306).

ISU's team batting average of .318 ranks 58th.

* Idaho State is 32-17 overall and has the Big Sky's best RPI of 118. Montana's RPI of 221 ranks fourth in the Big Sky behind Sacramento State (119) and Northern Colorado (161).

* Junior Jenna Kearns was voted preseason All-Big Sky at catcher, senior Ava Brown and Alyssa Yee were two of the preseason team's three outfielders. Senior pitcher Kasey Aguinaga and redshirt sophomore Lizzy Tommasini were voted preseason All-Big Sky at pitcher.

All five players were voted first-team All-Big Sky last season. Brown was the Player of the Year, Aguinaga was the Pitcher of the Year, Andrew Rich the Coach of the Year.

Yee was second-team All-Big Sky in 2023 and '24, Brown was the Freshman of the Year in 2023, Rich the Coach of the Year in '23.

* That doesn't factor in the splashy offseason move the Bengals made when they brought in senior Sydney Groves from Boise State. Groves is batting .340 and leads the Big Sky in RBIs (50) and home runs (16).

* Nor does that list account for junior Camryn McDonald, who is batting .400 this season to lead a team that has seven players hitting better than .300. She was second-team All-Big Sky last season.

* Idaho State has 160 extra-base hits, most in the Big Sky. Second on that list is Montana with 136.

* Idaho State pairs that offense with a pitching staff that has a 4.03 ERA. Aguinaga is 14-4 with a 2.92 ERA, junior Marley Goluskin is 9-4 with a team-best 2.61 ERA and Tommasini is 6-3.

* Idaho State is 14-4 since March 19, those four losses coming by one run, one run, five runs and three runs.

* Fifth-year coach Andrew Rich is the architect of Idaho State's program that rebounded from finishing last in the Big Sky in 2021 and has become a perennial contender in the Big Sky.

He has an overall record at Idaho State of 140-116. His teams have gone 44-24 in league.

Montana notes:

* Sunday will be Senior Day for Chloe Saxton, the only senior on Montana this season. She will be recognized following the conclusion of Game 3.

Saxton is having the best season of her career. She is hitting .300 and has 17 extra-base hits, tied for fifth most on the team.

* Montana has had three players with hitting streaks of at least 10 games this season: Anna Cockhill (12), Kailee Mejia (11) and Grace Lopez (10).

It's the first time since 2016, when the Grizzlies had four players with streaks of 10 or more, that three players have reached 10 in the same season.

Mejia's streak is ongoing and is the third-longest by a freshman in program history. Sydney Stites had a 13-game streak in 2016, Mercedes Bourgeau a 12-game streak in 2015.

* Montana won its 100th game at Grizzly Softball Field with its Game 1 victory over Portland State last month. The Grizzlies are 9-5 at home this season, 105-76 all-time.

* Brianna Gutierrez went 4 for 4 in Saturday's Game 3 win at Weber State to become only the third freshman in program history to have a four-hit game.

Delene Colburn had a pair of four-hit games as a freshman in 2015. Sydney Stites had one four-hit game and two five-hit games as a freshman in 2016.

* Five is the magic number for Montana. The Grizzlies are 16-2 when holding their opponent to five or fewer runs. They are 2-26 when their opponent scores six or more runs. Idaho State averages 6.2 runs per game.

* Kaiana Kong got the save in Game 1 at Weber State, giving her three for the season. The program record is four, set by Michaela Hood in 2017.

* Mackenzie Bekofsky went 6 for 13 on Montana's five-game road trip to Utah last week. She drove in four and scored four times.

* JoJo Christiaens was named the Big Sky Conference Player of the Week on Monday. She went 8 for 15 against Utah and Weber State with seven extra-base hits.

Grace Lopez and Carah Sweet were earlier this season named the Big Sky Player of the Week and Pitcher of the Week, respectively.

Christiaens went 3 for 4 in both Games 2 and 3 at Weber State to raise her season average to .309, the first time it's been over .300 since the opening weekend of the season.

* Carah Sweet was 0-5 in mid-March. She has won seven of her last eight decisions and is now 7-6 with a 4.00 ERA. No Montana pitcher has won more games since Allie Brock and Dana Butterfield both won 10 in 2022.

* Freshman Jessica Cherms was batting .210 on the season when Montana entered Big Sky play against Portland State. She is batting .406 in 12 league games, going 13 for 32 with six extra-base hits.

Five of Cherms' seven multiple-hit games this season have come in April.

* Freshman Kailee Mejia made her season debut on March 23 against Seattle after missing the season's first 27 games with a broken foot. Over 19 games since that debut, she is batting .392.

She has at least one hit in 15 of 19 games played and is batting .424 in a dozen Big Sky games.

* Montana is batting a robust .351 in league games. The nine regulars in the lineup all have between 10 and 15 hits in 12 games.

* Montana ranks eighth nationally with 89 doubles. JoJo Christiaens is tied for 18th nationally with 16, four off the national lead.

* Montana is 14-18 all-time against Idaho State, 5-10 in Missoula. The Bengals swept the series at Grizzly Softball Field in 2024, outscoring the Grizzlies 23-1.

Upcoming: Montana will head to Pocatello, Idaho, in early May for the Big Sky Conference Championship.