The Skyview softball team started Saturday with a 13-1 loss to undefeated Pocatello.
The Hawks ended Saturday with their third straight state championship.
Skyview scored three runs in the top of the eighth inning in the 4A finals and held on for a 12-10 victory over the Thunder, following up back-to-back 5A titles with one in the next-highest classification.
“These girls thrive in these environments,” Skyview coach Tim Souza said. “They love being an underdog and love going out and proving things to themselves.”
Skyview won two straight games over Owyhee to win the 5A championship last year. The Hawks were one of the favorites to win at 4A title this year, but they had to scratch and claw.
They were riding high after surviving the first round with a 7-6 win over Jerome on Friday and cruising to a 10-0 win over Twin Falls in the second round, but then they suffered a major hiccup. No. 2 Skyview (23-9) lost to No. 1 Pocatello 13-1 in the semifinals, forcing the Hawks down in the double-elimination bracket.
They scored an 11-1 win over Emmett to get another shot at 29-0 Pocatello, and they had to hand the Thunder their first two losses of the season to win it all.
Mission accomplished.
‘Leave a legacy’: Back in 5A title game, Owyhee softball earns ‘hardware’ it wanted
“This is a resilient team,” Souza said. “They weren’t ready to be done. They were ready to stand up to the challenge and fight through whatever they had to.”
Unfazed by the mountain it had to climb, Skyview won the first game of the championship series 7-3 and survived in the finale despite a late push by Pocatello that sent the game into extra innings.
Skyview scored four runs in the top of the sixth inning in the final game to build what seemed an insurmountable 9-2 lead, but Pocatello answered with seven runs in its half of the inning, including a two-run double by Miah Lusk that tied the score 9-9.
The Hawks took the lead in the top of the eighth thanks to an RBI single from Rayann Brown that scored Analisa Zamora. Lily Bittinger followed with an RBI single that scored Brown, and Sophie Carngella gave Skyview a 12-9 lead with yet another RBI single.
Pocatello was able to put one run on the board in the bottom of the eighth when Taylee Rogers scored on a fielder’s choice, but Skyview got the final outs and celebrated.
Zamora, a senior, led Skyview at the plate, finishing the finale 3-for-4 with three RBIs. She also pitched all eight innings and struck out three, giving up 11 hits and only two earned runs.
“She’s the cornerstone of our team,” Souza said. “She’s a senior leader who isn’t so much a vocal leader as someone who just grinds for what she wants and sets a great example for her teammates.”
Brown went 3-for-5 at the plate, while catcher Clarissa Howard finished the game 2-for-5 with two RBIs.
Azlin Bullock went 3-for-5 with an RBI to lead Pocatello. Kirstine Kent and Lusk each knocked in two runs.
Originally published