Bengals claim Big Sky Conference regular season crown on senior day, behind senior Smith

POCATELLO — On an afternoon when the Bengals were honoring their seniors, while also looking to clench their first outright Big Sky regular season championship in a decade, it was senior Gracie Smith who put Idaho State on her back.

Smith started the day with her glove, robbing Grizz center fielder Jessica Stanfield of a two-run homer to end the top of the first. Then, she led off the bottom of the first with a solo homer to open the scoring.

The All-Conference right fielder added a second homer, to finish Saturday’s Senior Day game going 2-for-3 with three RBIs and three runs scored.

Smith ended the day by leading her Bengals to an 11-1 mercy-rule victory at Miller Ranch Stadium, to clinch a Big Sky Conference crown.

At the time of the final out, the Bengals (32-13, 11-1) had locked up, at minimum, a shared conference championship, with Sacramento State (22-20, 7-5).

Just over an hour after the ISU game went final, Sac State finished their Saturday game, a 6-4 loss to Weber State (21-27, 7-5). With that result, the Bengals earned their first outright conference regular season championship since 2015.

Smith’s leadoff homer put the Bengals ahead for good, but it was not the “game-winning” hit, that came later the same inning, on an RBI single off the bat of Kennedy Dudley.

Catcher, and Pocatello native, Jenna Kearns kept her hot hitting going with an RBI fielder’s choice groundout, giving ISU a 3-0 lead in the first.

Smith’s second homer of the game came in the second inning. Kearns continue the Bengal power surge later in the second, hitting her third homer of the series — ISU’s 12th in the three-game set.

Up 9-0 in the third, graduate student Ashlee LaRue was sent to the plate by ISU head coach Andrew Rich, as a pinch-hitter. LaRue, playing at home for the final time as a Bengal, singled in a pair of run to make it 11-0.

Eleven was enough for starter Megan Meracle, who held Montana to a single run — with a massive assist from Smith — on three hits, striking out five. The 10-run mercy rule took affect after the top of the fifth.

Senior Kate Hogan was also used as a pinch-hitter, given one last appearance at home in her Bengal career. Smith, LaRue, Hogan and Piper Tago — currently sidelined with a knee injury — make up ISU’s senior contingent.

After the game, following a celebration of the conference title, the four seniors were honored by the team.

The Bengals will finish the regular season on the road, first vising Boise State for one game, Wednesday, before ending the season with a three-game set at Portland State next weekend.

The Big Sky Conference Tournament begins Tuesday, May 6, in Greeley, Colo.

There, Idaho State will look to claim the conference tournament championship and a berth into the NCAA Tournament.