Two 5A softball state berths were clinched Wednesday. Home runs powered both to state

The Kuna softball team got hot at the plate early in a 5A District Three semifinal on Wednesday and held on late to secure a spot in the championship game with a 12-8 win over Rocky Mountain.

The Kavemen will face Capital in the district championship game at 5 p.m. Friday at Eagle High. Capital knocked off Owyhee 7-3 in Wednesday’s other semifinal.

Kuna and Capital also clinched spots in the 5A state tournament Wednesday. It will be the Kavemen’s first chance to play for a state title since 2017. Capital is in the state tournament for the second year in a row.

“Early on this year, we were focused on setting the tone for the program,” Kuna head coach Ali Schauer said. “After the first couple weeks, you could tell they were bought in. Now they’ll run through a brick wall for their teammates, and this is the result.”

Kuna and Rocky Mountain treated fans to a home run derby on Wednesday. The teams combined to hit seven homers, but the Kavemen (18-5) got the last laugh thanks to a hitter who just couldn’t miss.

Brylin Field connected on three of Kuna’s four home runs. Her two-run shot in the first inning gave the Kavemen a 2-0 lead, and she scored two of Kuna’s five runs in the second inning with another two-run homer.

After Rocky Mountain’s Savannah Henzler hit a solo home run to cut Kuna’s lead to 10-8 in the top of the sixth, Field sent a pitch over the fence in center field, plating two more runs and putting the game out of reach for good.

Field said playing with an early lead gave the team the confidence it needed to get the win.

“That gave us a little more room to go after balls that may be outside of our comfort zone,” she said. “And for our pitchers, that gave them the confidence to throw some balls they may not normally throw.”

Field finished the game 4-for-4 with seven RBIs.

“Brylin plays this game the way it’s supposed to be played,” Schauer said. “She goes out there and she’s not worried about all the what ifs. She’s just focused on what’s going on right now, and she gives it her all every time.”

Kuna’s big second inning was sparked by a two-run home run by Rylee Mangum. The Kavemen also got an RBI double from Gracie Nelson in the inning. They led 7-0 heading into the third inning, but Rocky Mountain (15-10) wouldn’t go away.

A two-run home run by Kate Bjorkman cut Kuna’s lead to 7-3 in the third inning. Danica Quinn followed suit with a two-run shot that cut the lead to 10-7 in the fifth.

“We’re just playing hard and showing what we’re capable of, game in and game out,” Rocky Mountain head coach Brian White said. “We’ve done a great job of capitalizing with runners in scoring position.”

Wednesday’s semifinal marked the end of Rocky Mountain’s postseason winning streak, which began Saturday with a 10-0 win over Mountain View in a district tournament play-in game. The No. 8 Grizzlies also knocked off No. 1 Eagle 15-6 on Monday.

Rocky Mountain’s Cinderella story may have taken a detour, but it isn’t over yet. The Grizzlies will be back in action at Eagle on Thursday in another winner-to-state game against Borah (5 p.m.).

“We just have to move on and look back at what we learned from the last time we played Borah,” said White, referring to a 7-3 loss on April 27.

Shortstop Ariana Gonzalez went 3-for-4 for the Grizzlies on Wednesday, while Henzler finished the game 2-for-3 with two RBI.

CAPITAL 7, OWYHEE 3: Capital scored five runs in the first inning of a 5A District Three semifinal game against Owyhee and never looked back.

All of the Eagles’ runs in the first inning were scored thanks to home runs. Penny-Lew Barnett, who finished the game 2-for-4, plated Capital’s first two runs with a homer that cleared the fence in center field. Lizzy Turpin added a three-run shot that sailed over the fence in left field.

Owyhee will face Eagle in a winner-to-state game at 5 p.m. Thursday back at Eagle.

HOMEDALE CROWNED 3A DISTRICT CHAMPS AGAIN

Homedale won its ninth consecutive 3A District Three championship with a 6-3 victory over Weiser on Wednesday at Homedale High.

The Trojans (21-5) did most of their damage in the opening two innings, scoring on a walk by Zayne Hall in the first inning, a double by Dani Sitts in the second inning, plus an error in the second inning.

Sitts and Hall accounted for Homedale’s only two hits. Sitts also earned the win in the circle, allowing four hits and three runs over seven innings, striking out 11.

Homedale will be the No. 3 seed at next week’s state tournament in Blackfoot. Weiser (11-13) also advances to state, but it’s seed has not been determined yet.