Sunday, April 26
Missoula, Mont.
Noon
Montana
19-30, 9-6
2
vs
8
Idaho State
34-18, 10-5
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Runs R | Hits H | Errors E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Idaho State | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 10 | 0 |
| Montana | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 2 |
Photo by: Ryan Brennecke / University of Montana
Griz drop finale, look ahead to postseason
4/26/2026 5:33:00 PM | Softball
To hurt like this is a new feeling. It's a good feeling, a healthy one, a promising one.
It means the prize was right there for the taking, just one more win and Montana could have claimed its first-ever Big Sky Conference regular-season championship.
Instead, it was preseason favorite Idaho State that won 8-2 on Sunday at Grizzly Softball Field in Missoula, looking like the team the Bengals are: veteran, experienced, poised.
The hurt comes from being close and coming up short, a new position for Montana after years of being an afterthought when it came to championship chases.
Idaho State won its sixth Big Sky championship on Sunday, its third in four years, and will take the No. 1 seed into next month's league tournament in Pocatello.
Montana took the series opener against Idaho State on Saturday, coming from behind to win 7-6.
With the Grizzlies needing to win just once more to complete their rise from worst to first, it was the Bengals who took the final two games of the series by a combined score of 14-2.
"When you're playing for a championship and you lose, you have to stomach that you were right there. It just does something to the coaching staff and to the players," said coach Stef Ewing.
Last year, Montana watched from the dugout as Idaho State celebrated a Big Sky title on its home field in Pocatello. On Sunday, the Bengals did it on the Grizzlies' home turf.
"Last year, we weren't in the mix at all," said Ewing. "For us to know we're that close, it's a great learning moment. That's what this whole season has been about."
Montana only got out-hit by three on Sunday, but it was the timing of Idaho State's hits that proved to be the difference, the Bengals grouping theirs together while the Grizzlies' seven were scattered.
Idaho State scored three runs on three hits in the second to build an early 4-0 lead.
With the score 5-2, Montana needed to survive the top of the seventh to take a three-run deficit into its final at-bats. The Bengals, with other ideas, went single, single, home run to put the game out of reach.
"If you're going to win a championship, you've got to play a little bit better than we played today," said Ewing. "That's the thing that's going to burn in our belly a little bit.
"You could see kids pressing a little bit. It's the first time this group has been in a moment like this. If we could have come through, we would have had our chances but we didn't come through offensively."
Idaho State scored first in all three games of the series, a season-long harbinger of trouble for the young Grizzlies, who are now 4-25 in such games in 2026.
Alyssa Yee led off the game with a double to left. Idaho State sacrificed her to third, then scored her on a sacrifice fly. The Bengals would lead the rest of the game.
Montana got on the scoreboard when Madison Tarrant hit a one-out double to the fence in left in the bottom of the second. Gutierrez drove her in with a two-out single to center to make it 4-1.
Who knows how things would have turned out had the bottom of the fourth played out differently.
With runners on first and second and one out, Gutierrez flew out to the warning track in center, allowing JoJo Christiaens to advance from second to third.
When Idaho State threw to third base, Jessica Cherms raced from first to second, forcing an ISU throw, which prompted Christiaens to head for home.
ISU starting pitcher Marley Goluskin was in the baseline between third and home and collided with Christiaens, allowing the Bengals to throw home and get the tag on Christiaens for the inning's final out.
The umpires gathered to discuss the potential for interference, which would have resulted in a 4-2 game with Cherms on second and two outs, but waved it off, ending the inning.
Montana pulled within 5-2 in the sixth on an RBI single by Gutierrez and brought the tying run to the plate, but a well-hit ball to right was held up by the wind and caught, ending Montana's final threat.
After Idaho State's first two batters singled in the top of the seventh, Sydney Groves hit a towering home run to left-center to make it 8-2.
Grace Lopez was hit by a pitch to lead off the bottom of the seventh. A pair of ground-outs moved her to third. The game ended on an infield pop-up that allowed the Bengals to rush the field in celebration.
Ewing went with freshman Audri Elias for her starter in the circle and Elias worked four batters into the top of the second before being relieved by Carah Sweet.
Sweet set down the first 10 batters she faced and kept the Bengals at five runs through six innings, which Ewing would have taken in any of the series' three games.
"That's right where we want them," said Ewing, whose team is 16-2 this season when allowing five or fewer runs. "That was great for us, but where did our offense go? Five's our number."
After Goluskin shut out Montana 6-0 in Game 2, she got the start in Game 3 and was nearly as effective, holding the Grizzlies to two runs and seven hits over seven innings.
"She did a great job shutting down our hitters over two days. She really did," said Ewing.
"We made some adjustments today, got some more ground-ball contact after a lot of lazy fly balls (in Game 2). We have to be able to find the middle of the ball and not press."
With the loss, Montana dropped into a tie for second in the Big Sky standings with Sacramento State and Northern Colorado, the Grizzlies' best finish since their NCAA tournament season of 2017.
Montana will take the No. 4 seed into next month's Big Sky Championship in Pocatello, opening against No. 5 Weber State on Monday, May 4. The Grizzlies swept the Wildcats in Ogden last weekend.
If Montana can advance, it would set up a rematch with Idaho State later that day.
"We've got to get through some other teams, but we've got an opportunity to go to Pocatello and do the same thing to them that they just did to us," said Ewing.
"That's what I told the team after the game. This isn't the end for us. We still have another opportunity to win a trophy and continue to be the team that surprises everybody. We've got a shot."
Montana has lost its last eight games at the Big Sky Championship, going winless since a first-round win over Portland State in 2022, getting outscored in those eight losses 86-22.
But those were different teams. Those were not this team.
"I'm thrilled with what we did during Big Sky Conference play, but we're not satisfied with being tied for second," said Ewing, whose squad has defeated every other Big Sky team at least once this season.
"We're not done. We should be shoulders back, ready to go. It's all about who's going to get hot in the tournament and play well. Why not us? We're not done writing this story yet."
It means the prize was right there for the taking, just one more win and Montana could have claimed its first-ever Big Sky Conference regular-season championship.
Instead, it was preseason favorite Idaho State that won 8-2 on Sunday at Grizzly Softball Field in Missoula, looking like the team the Bengals are: veteran, experienced, poised.
The hurt comes from being close and coming up short, a new position for Montana after years of being an afterthought when it came to championship chases.
Idaho State won its sixth Big Sky championship on Sunday, its third in four years, and will take the No. 1 seed into next month's league tournament in Pocatello.
Montana took the series opener against Idaho State on Saturday, coming from behind to win 7-6.
With the Grizzlies needing to win just once more to complete their rise from worst to first, it was the Bengals who took the final two games of the series by a combined score of 14-2.
"When you're playing for a championship and you lose, you have to stomach that you were right there. It just does something to the coaching staff and to the players," said coach Stef Ewing.
Last year, Montana watched from the dugout as Idaho State celebrated a Big Sky title on its home field in Pocatello. On Sunday, the Bengals did it on the Grizzlies' home turf.
"Last year, we weren't in the mix at all," said Ewing. "For us to know we're that close, it's a great learning moment. That's what this whole season has been about."
Montana only got out-hit by three on Sunday, but it was the timing of Idaho State's hits that proved to be the difference, the Bengals grouping theirs together while the Grizzlies' seven were scattered.
Idaho State scored three runs on three hits in the second to build an early 4-0 lead.
With the score 5-2, Montana needed to survive the top of the seventh to take a three-run deficit into its final at-bats. The Bengals, with other ideas, went single, single, home run to put the game out of reach.
"If you're going to win a championship, you've got to play a little bit better than we played today," said Ewing. "That's the thing that's going to burn in our belly a little bit.
"You could see kids pressing a little bit. It's the first time this group has been in a moment like this. If we could have come through, we would have had our chances but we didn't come through offensively."
Idaho State scored first in all three games of the series, a season-long harbinger of trouble for the young Grizzlies, who are now 4-25 in such games in 2026.
Alyssa Yee led off the game with a double to left. Idaho State sacrificed her to third, then scored her on a sacrifice fly. The Bengals would lead the rest of the game.
Montana got on the scoreboard when Madison Tarrant hit a one-out double to the fence in left in the bottom of the second. Gutierrez drove her in with a two-out single to center to make it 4-1.
Who knows how things would have turned out had the bottom of the fourth played out differently.
With runners on first and second and one out, Gutierrez flew out to the warning track in center, allowing JoJo Christiaens to advance from second to third.
When Idaho State threw to third base, Jessica Cherms raced from first to second, forcing an ISU throw, which prompted Christiaens to head for home.
ISU starting pitcher Marley Goluskin was in the baseline between third and home and collided with Christiaens, allowing the Bengals to throw home and get the tag on Christiaens for the inning's final out.
The umpires gathered to discuss the potential for interference, which would have resulted in a 4-2 game with Cherms on second and two outs, but waved it off, ending the inning.
Montana pulled within 5-2 in the sixth on an RBI single by Gutierrez and brought the tying run to the plate, but a well-hit ball to right was held up by the wind and caught, ending Montana's final threat.
After Idaho State's first two batters singled in the top of the seventh, Sydney Groves hit a towering home run to left-center to make it 8-2.
Grace Lopez was hit by a pitch to lead off the bottom of the seventh. A pair of ground-outs moved her to third. The game ended on an infield pop-up that allowed the Bengals to rush the field in celebration.
Ewing went with freshman Audri Elias for her starter in the circle and Elias worked four batters into the top of the second before being relieved by Carah Sweet.
Sweet set down the first 10 batters she faced and kept the Bengals at five runs through six innings, which Ewing would have taken in any of the series' three games.
"That's right where we want them," said Ewing, whose team is 16-2 this season when allowing five or fewer runs. "That was great for us, but where did our offense go? Five's our number."
After Goluskin shut out Montana 6-0 in Game 2, she got the start in Game 3 and was nearly as effective, holding the Grizzlies to two runs and seven hits over seven innings.
"She did a great job shutting down our hitters over two days. She really did," said Ewing.
"We made some adjustments today, got some more ground-ball contact after a lot of lazy fly balls (in Game 2). We have to be able to find the middle of the ball and not press."
With the loss, Montana dropped into a tie for second in the Big Sky standings with Sacramento State and Northern Colorado, the Grizzlies' best finish since their NCAA tournament season of 2017.
Montana will take the No. 4 seed into next month's Big Sky Championship in Pocatello, opening against No. 5 Weber State on Monday, May 4. The Grizzlies swept the Wildcats in Ogden last weekend.
If Montana can advance, it would set up a rematch with Idaho State later that day.
"We've got to get through some other teams, but we've got an opportunity to go to Pocatello and do the same thing to them that they just did to us," said Ewing.
"That's what I told the team after the game. This isn't the end for us. We still have another opportunity to win a trophy and continue to be the team that surprises everybody. We've got a shot."
Montana has lost its last eight games at the Big Sky Championship, going winless since a first-round win over Portland State in 2022, getting outscored in those eight losses 86-22.
But those were different teams. Those were not this team.
"I'm thrilled with what we did during Big Sky Conference play, but we're not satisfied with being tied for second," said Ewing, whose squad has defeated every other Big Sky team at least once this season.
"We're not done. We should be shoulders back, ready to go. It's all about who's going to get hot in the tournament and play well. Why not us? We're not done writing this story yet."
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Goluskin, Marley (11-4)
L: Elias, Audri (3-6)
Batting:
2B: Yee, Alyssa 1 ; Dudley, Kennedy 2
HR: Groves, Sydney 1
RBI: Brown, Ava 1 ; Groves, Sydney 4 ; Dudley, Kennedy 2
SH: McDonald, Camryn 1
SF: Brown, Ava 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Yee, Alyssa 2 ; McDonald, Camryn 1 ; Brown, Ava 1 ; Groves, Sydney 1 ; Kearns, Jenna 1 ; Day, Kira 1 ; Moore, Jaden 1
SB: Dudley, Kennedy 1
Batting:
2B: Tarrant, Madison 1
RBI: Gutierrez, Brianna 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Tarrant, Madison 1 ; Boer, Hailey 1
HBP: Lopez, Grace 1
Game Leaders
AB
3
R
0
H
2
RBI
2
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
Players Mentioned
OF
/ SoftballINF/C
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P
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P
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C
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