Huskies fall short of championship game, but claim first ever softball trophy

CALDWELL — Following a round-two victory over the top-seeded Malad Dragons, the North Fremont Huskies’ championship aspirations intensified. But back-to-back losses have forced the Huskies to settle for third place in the 3A Softball State Championships.

North Fremont fell Friday afternoon, 10-0, to the Nampa Christian Trojans. In a Saturday morning elimination game, the Huskies suffered a similar fate, losing 17-7 to Malad, at Caldwell’s GALS Quad Park.

The two losses mean North Fremont has been eliminated from the state tournament. But their third-place finish amounts to the first ever state trophy in program history.

“This is huge for us,” head coach Ericka Robertson said after her team received its trophy. “With how (the team) played at state, every parent will tell you that everyone is proud of these kids — how they played their butts off, hustled and gave it their all.”

Robertson’s team earned a hard-fought 7-5 victory over the Dragons, Thursday, and believed it could beat the No. 1 seed a second time. But things got off to an ominous start for the Huskies.

Malad starter, sophomore Liddia Gonzalez, worked a perfect top of the first. Then, two batters into the bottom half, a single and a North Fremont error led to the first run of the game, and a 1-0 lead for the Dragons.

The Dragons added a second first-inning run, again on an error.

North Fremont answered back with their own two-spot in the top of the second. But the inning could have yielded much more.

With one out, runners on second and third, and one run already in, Makyah Cherry rolled an RBI groundout to Malad shortstop Riglee Peterson. Daisy Reynolds scored, but a return throw from Dragon first baseman Tylee Venable to third baseman Teagan Daniels nabbed trail runner Harlee Cherry to end the threat.

Malad immediately got the two runs back in the bottom of the second, on a two-run homer form senior Brylee Oglesbee.

That was how it went all morning for the Dragons, who hung a crooked number on the board in all five innings. They followed two-spots in the first, second and third with a five-run fourth inning.

Then, taking an 11-7 lead into the bottom of the fifth, Malad sent six across the plate to secure a 10-run mercy-rule victory.

Peterson was responsible for two of the fifth-inning runs, on a homer to center. The senior star finished the game with two hits on four trips to the plate, three runs scored and two RBIs.

She was also asked to pitch in relief of Gonzalez, when North Fremont threatened in the fourth inning.

Peterson took the circle with the bases loaded, one out and one run already across, cutting the Malad lead to 6-3. She allowed one of the three inherited runner to score, on a throwing error, but stopped the bleeding there.

Peterson pitched the game’s final 1-2/3 innings, allowing two hits and three runs — only one earned — while striking out one.

The two teams combined for sever errors — two from Malad and five from North Fremont — as they played through a steady downpour.

Adding to the big offensive days from Peterson and Oglesbee was senior Bostyn Combs, who went 3-for-4 with two runs and two RBIs, and freshman Sarah Toone, who went 3-for-4 with one run scored and three RBIs.

The North Fremont attack was paced by Harlee Cherry, who drove in two of the Huskies’ runs.

After the game, Robertson spoke about how proud she was to have coached this Husky squad, saying that, had she learned before the season that they would finish third in the state, she would have been “extremely happy.”

“This team has come so far from the beginning of the season — totally different team,” she said. “They’ve all stepped up big in the roles that we’ve put them in, and they’re just amazing kids, athletes and students.”

The coach continued, discussing how she will always remember how this 2025 group never gave up, and always gave everything:

“We’ve never coached a team that has had each other’s backs like this team does. This team believes in each other. The amount of support that they have for each other is something that you can’t teach.”

With one win now in the books, Malad needs two more, against Nampa Christian, to win their eighth state championship in the past 12 years. As of 11:45 a.m., the Trojans lead, 1-0, in the second inning.

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