For home games, Blackfoot softball dons all-black uniforms. Seems fitting.
Black is the color of intimidation and the Broncos, with two pitchers slinging fire and a stacked lineup cranking out doubles and home runs like they are on an assembly line, are pretty overwhelming.
The only offense more explosive in Eastern Idaho might reside at Miller Ranch Stadium.
The Broncos swept the Preston Indians 15-0 and 11-0 Saturday afternoon in Blackfoot.
In 10 innings, Blackfoot hitters combined for 28 hits, seven doubles and three home runs.
From the very beginning, on senior day, the Broncos jumped on Preston’s starting pitcher Megan Porter.
Jessica Capson whipped a double and Matti Chavez hammered a home run over center field for a quick 2-0 lead. By the time Porter escape the first inning, the Indians trailed by six runs and the Broncos had six of their 19 hits in game one.
Blackfoot was on.
“If you go out and break their back right off the bat it’s really hard to come back from that,” Capson said.
Porter regrouped after the first and worked through the second and third innings with limited damage — Megan Leslie rocketed her fifth home run in the last four games in the bottom of the second — but the floodgates opened again in the fourth when the Broncos added another eight runs — including a grand slam by sophomore Morningrose Tobey.
While the bats were raking at the plate for Blackfoot, Capson was dealing from the mound with command and velocity.
“The only sad thing about today is (that) it was ... senior Jess Capson’s last game,” said Broncos head coach Matt Chavez.
Capson walked four, struck out nine and did not allow a hit in five innings. The 5-foot-2 senior, a Treasure Valley Community College commit, said she had to fib a little to convince the Chukars to even take a look at her.
“People underestimate me for my size all time,” she said.
Since it was Capson’s last game at home for the Broncos, Chavez was looking back at her career and perceived diminutive stature, too.
“Everybody looks at her and says, ‘Man, she’s too tiny. She’s just too tiny,’” he said. “But look at how scrappy she is. She gives it her all. You watch her pitch, even today, she pitched like that when she was 10, 12 years old. She’s got all that torque with that little body of hers. I mean the ball moves. She’s got some velocity.”
Capson has had to fight the perception that she’s too small to pitch or too short to play college softball, but now she and the Broncos — Blackfoot is 15-1 overall and 6-0 in the 4A Fifth-Sixth District — are on the verge of a No. 1 seed in the postseason tournament.
And Capson, along with Tobey, present a challenging one-two starting pitcher combination.
Plus, with a lineup that can go 3-for-3 (Capson), 1-for-2 (Chavez), 2-for-4 (Tobey), 2-for-3 (Leslie), 8-for-8 (Taylor and Ashlyn Beers) and 3-for-3 (Cassandra Clarke), it’s hard to decipher if the Broncos’ strength is at the plate or the mound.
“They’re all hitting. All of them are,” Chavez said. “... They’re a good, tough group of girls.”
In game two, Capson moved to shortstop and Tobey took over at the mound. Preston switched pitchers, too, but on that day it did not matter.
The Broncos smashed out seven hits and scored eight runs in the top of the first to bury the Indians.
“Blackfoot’s an awesome team,” said Preston head coach Ashley Larsen. “... They all hit the ball.”
After the first inning, the Indians’ second pitcher of the day, Hailey Swan, did quiet the bats, though, holding the Broncos to runs to a run in the second and two in the third.
But whether it was Capson in game one or Tobey in the second contest, Preston could never make solid contact. With a double to left center field in the third inning, Olivia Wheatley broke Tobey’s bid for a no-hitter. It was the Indians’ lone hit of the day.
Preston, 5-11 overall, is 2-6 in district play and hosts Pocatello Tuesday for two games to end the regular season.
Blackfoot travels to Bonneville Tuesday and Rigby Thursday for a pair of doubleheaders to finish its season.
Blackfoot 15, Preston 0
Preston 000 00x x — 0 0 1
Blackfoot 610 8xx x — 15 19 1
Preston — Megan Porter and Talbot. Blackfoot — Jess Capson and Matti Chavez. 2B — Jess Capson (B) 2, Madison Leslie (B), Taylor Beers (B), Ashlyn Beers (B) 2. HR — Matti Chavez (B), Morningrose Tobey (B), Madison Leslie (B).
Blackfoot 11, Preston 0
Preston 000 00x x — 0 1 3
Blackfoot 812 0xx x — 11 9 1
Preston — Hailey Swann and Talbot. Blackfoot — Morningrose Tobey and Matti
Chavez. 2B — Madison Leslie (B), Wheat (P).