On the edge: Blackfoot rallies past No. 1 Bonneville to earn 5A District 6 title

EASTERN IDAHO – Blackfoot entered Thursday’s 5A District 6 tournament championship game having already clinched a berth to the state tournament.

The third-seeded Broncos took care of business on Wednesday with a win over No. 1 Bonneville, securing one of the district’s two seeds in the Big Dance.

The only thing left was to see who would earn the district title on Thursday.

“Today is icing on the cake,” Broncos coach Tammy Sorenson said after her team celebrated a district title, rallying for a 10-8 victory over Bonneville, which defeated Shelley 6-0 earlier in the afternoon to advance to the final and get a rematch with Blackfoot.

“This team keeps me on the edge every time,” Sorenson said of a rollercoaster season that saw the Broncos lose three of four conference games down the stretch before winning six straight games, including four in the district tournament.

And of course Thursday’s rematch with the top-seeded Bees wasn’t going to be easy.

Blackfoot led 3-2 in the fourth and then added three runs in the bottom of the inning.

Both teams struggled in the field at times, which created plenty of opportunities.

Down 6-2, Bonneville scored three runs in the fifth and added three more in the sixth.

Gracie Longhurst’s two-run double in the sixth was the key hit as the Bees pulled ahead 7-6. Bonneville added another run when Keeli Miller knocked in Longhurst.

But the bottom of the sixth belonged to the Broncos.

Emma McGuire was intentionally walked, and Traylee Reid followed with a triple to center to score the run and cut the deficit to 8-7.

Keslyn Reid then had the biggest hit of the tournament, launching a home run to center and setting off a Bronco celebration as Blackfoot regained the lead 9-8.

The Broncos added an insurance run off of an error and Traylee Reid returned to the circle and finished the seventh inning 1-2-3.

Sorenson said she knew last summer that the team had the potential to make a postseason run.

“We had nothing to lose,” Traylee Reid said of the team’s win streak and success in the tournament.

Traylee Reid finished 2 for 4 with two triples and struck out seven in her six innings.

Longhurst, who struck out 12 and gave up just one hit in the earlier win over Shelley, finished 2 for 3 with two RBIs and three runs. Miller finished with three RBIs for the Bees.

Entering the tournament, Bonneville was No. 6 in the MaxPreps 5A state rankings and Blackfoot was No. 8.

The 5A state tournament is May 14-16 at Post Falls High.