CALDWELL — A loss Friday couldn't keep Malad out of the title game.

The defending 3A state champion Dragons (24-5) will face Orofino in the title game at 2 p.m. Saturday at Wolfe Field on the campus of the College of Idaho. It's Malad's second straight trip to the championship game. A win Saturday would give the Dragons their fifth state title overall. The Dragons will have to beat Orofino twice to win it.

"Took a long way to get there, but we're happy where we're at," Malad head coach Chad Maroney said.

Malad opened Thursday with a 7-4 win over Salmon. Easton Green went 2-for-2 with three RBIs. The Dragons then dropped a 9-6 decision to Orofino on Friday — the first loss to a 3A opponent all season — as Orofino scored five in the fourth inning to pull away. Maroney pointed to defense as the difference. The Dragons made errors and missed double plays that let Orofino extend rallies.

"We didn't play our cleanest game of defense," Maroney said. "Little things that didn't fall our way."

The message after the loss was simple.

"We got one more to go and we're still in this," Maroney said. "Keep coming."

Malad answered with a 13-5 win over Melba, scoring six runs in the sixth inning. Carter Carey tripled and drove in two, and Hudson Daniels singled in two more. Maroney said he was nervous about how his team would respond but came away impressed.

"To bounce back and be able to put up the runs we put up and have the energy — I was impressed that we bounced back that fast," he said.

Maroney said Holdyn Higley will start Saturday's opener.

"Pitching is deep," he said. "We're deep."

EAGLES’ SEASON HANGING BY A THREAD

TWIN FALLS — Marsh Valley’s season is in serious trouble.

The Eagles (25-7) dropped a 3-0 decision to Homedale on Thursday at the Class 4A State Tournament at the College of Southern Idaho. Tate Whitworth threw a complete game, but the Eagles managed just five hits. Homedale’s Mason Taylor gave them fits all game with a seven-inning shutout, striking out seven.

Marsh Valley stayed alive Friday with a nine-inning walk-off 4-3 win over Cole Valley Christian. Cooper Curzon’s single in the bottom of the ninth scored the winning run. Whitworth threw all nine innings, allowing three runs — none earned.

At press time, the Eagles trailed Fruitland 11-1 in the fifth inning before a rain delay halted play. A loss ends their season.

SOFTBALL

HIGHLAND, BLACKFOOT ONE WIN AWAY FIRST TITLE GAME APPEARANCES

CLASS 6A

COEUR D’ALENE — Highland is guaranteed its first state trophy in 13 years — and the Rams are one win from something they have never done.

The Rams (23-6-1) opened Thursday at Lake City High School with a 13-3 win over Mountain View. Utah Tech signee Reece Bybee hit two home runs and drove in four. Dawson Sommers went 4-for-4 with three stolen bases.

On Friday, also at Lake City, North Idaho signee McKenna Sutton threw a seven-inning shutout, striking out 13 in a 2-0 win over Owyhee. Sommers’ two-run homer in the first provided all the offense Highland needed.

Later Friday at Coeur d’Alene High School, Eagle ended Highland’s unbeaten run with an 11-1 victory, scoring 11 runs in the third inning.

The Rams will face defending state champion Owyhee again Saturday at 9 a.m. at Coeur d’Alene High School. Win, and Highland plays for a state title — for the first time in program history. If the Rams win, they’ll have to beat Eagle twice for the championship.

CLASS 5A

POST FALLS — Blackfoot has already made history. Now the Broncos are looking for more.

The Broncos (22-10) have never won a state trophy. Win Saturday and they’ll play for a state title for the first time in program history.

The Broncos opened the tournament Thursday with a 9-4 win over Lakeland. Idaho State signee Emma McGuire went 3-for-3 with five RBIs, including a two-run double and a two-run home run.

Friday started rough. Blackfoot led Vallivue 10-9 in the fifth inning before Maris Farner’s three-run homer in the sixth gave the Falcons a 13-12 win. The Broncos answered by rallying from four runs down to beat Twin Falls 9-7 — scoring five in the fourth, highlighted by Brianna Reynolds’ two-run double. Reynolds then threw six innings of one-hit ball to shut out Bonneville 5-3, with Keslyn Reid’s first-inning homer setting the tone.

Blackfoot faces Vallivue — the same team that sent them to the losers’ bracket — Saturday at 9 a.m.

Pocatello (17-8) went two-and-out for the second straight year. The Thunder fell 11-4 to Bonneville on Thursday — the Bees scored eight runs in the fourth inning — and 13-3 to Twin Falls on Friday.

CLASS 4A

FILER — Preston survived a setback and still has a shot at going somewhere it hasn’t been in a quarter century — the state championship game.

The Indians (25-3) opened with a 12-5 win over Weiser on Thursday at Filer High School. Ellie Keller threw seven innings and went 3-for-5 with three doubles. Preston stole 10 bases.

Kimberly handed Preston a 10-2 loss Friday — Brooklyn VerWey drove in four — but the Indians bounced back with back-to-back wins. Maysa Jones drove in four and hit a sixth-inning home run in a 15-10 victory over Sugar-Salem, then Chloe Dunn drove in four more in a 10-5 win over Gooding. Preston stole 12 bases against Gooding and 11 against Sugar-Salem.

Preston is guaranteed to place at state for the first time since 2003. The Indians haven’t played for a state title since 2002. They face Kimberly again Saturday at 9 a.m. for a title game berth — a rematch with the team that already beat them once this week.

Marsh Valley (10-20-1) went two-and-out. Kimberly routed the Eagles 15-0 on Thursday, scoring 11 in the fourth. On Friday, Marsh Valley led Weiser 5-4 in the sixth before the Wolverines scored five to win 9-8.

CLASS 3A

NORTH IDAHO — Malad’s run of six consecutive state championship game appearances is over.

The Dragons (23-6) opened Thursday at Timberlake Senior High with a nine-inning walk-off 3-2 win over Kellogg. Stella Merja tripled to center in the bottom of the ninth to tie the game, and Sarah Toone’s sacrifice fly scored Merja with the winner.

At Lakeland High School on Friday, Malad beat Orofino 5-4 on a late Merja single, but dropped decisions to Parma (6-4) and North Fremont (2-0). The loss to North Fremont was especially frustrating — the Dragons outhit them 5-3 but couldn’t push a run across.

It’s the first time since 2018 the Dragons haven’t placed at state.