Preston High School softball achieved its biggest goal of the season at the 4A state softball tournament in Filer, and that was bringing home some hardware. The third-place finish was only the third time in PHS history the softball team has placed at state, with the last time being 23 years ago.
“Bringing home hardware was absolutely one of our goals going into the tournament, so to finish the season with a trophy means a lot to our team and program,” coach Brandi Jo Hemmert said. “The girls worked incredibly hard all year and earned the opportunity to compete at that level.”
Fifth-seeded Preston won the opener against fourth-seeded Weiser 12-5. Tied 1-1 going into the fifth inning, Preston plated four runs to take a lead they didn’t relinquish.
Ellie Keller drove in a run following a two-out error to get things started, and junior Brielle Biggs hit a two-run double. Chloe Dunn added an RBI double to score Biggs, and Preston continued to hit well the remainder of the game.
In the sixth inning, both Keller and Biggs stole home on wild pitches to help extend the lead to 8-2.
Weiser pared the deficit to 8-5 in the bottom of the inning but Preston shut them down, scoring four runs in the seventh while holding Weiser scoreless, with Keller retiring Weiser in order in the bottom of the seventh to close out the win.
Averie Madsen and Tess Jones each scored stealing home, Biggs added another RBI double, and later stole home.
Preston finished with 12 runs on 13 hits and committed four errors.
Keller starred both in the circle and at the plate. The sophomore pitched all seven innings, allowing five runs (four earned) on eight hits while striking out three. Offensively, she went 3 for 5 with three doubles, two RBIs, three runs scored and two stolen bases.
Biggs went 2 for 5 with two doubles, three RBIs, three runs and three stolen bases.
Dunn added three hits and an RBI, while Madsen finished 2 for 3 with a double, three runs scored and three stolen bases.
The next day, they faced No. 1-seeded Kimberly and competed well, holding Kimberly to just two runs until the bottom of the fifth inning. Trailing just 1-2, Preston couldn’t hold off a surge by Kimberly, who plated four runs and added four more in the bottom of the sixth to win 10-2, setting Preston up for a long road.
It was a grueling day for Preston, who played twice more under threat of elimination — first against Sugar-Salem and then Gooding.
Preston took an early lead against Sugar-Salem with four runs in the second inning and four more in the fourth. Sugar-Salem finally got their bats going in the bottom of the fourth and slowly chipped away at the Preston lead over the next three innings. Six runs in the top of the sixth inning were enough for Preston to weather the Sugar-Salem rally, keeping their season alive with a 15-10 win.
Tess Jones and Biggs each stole home. Maysa Jones added her second home run in as many games. Every hitter in the lineup recorded at least one hit. Jones finished 3 for 4 with a home run, double and three RBIs, while Biggs went 2 for 4 with a triple, three stolen bases and two runs scored.
Keller added a two-run double, and Tess Jones contributed two RBIs, two walks, two runs and three stolen bases.
A few hours later, Gooding fell to Preston 10-5. Preston plated four runs in the first inning and three in the third for an explosive start that set the tone. Three more runs in the top of the fourth were more than enough to secure the win for Preston.
Maysa Jones allowed just one earned run across five innings while striking out five. Keller then closed out the game with one-and-two-thirds hitless innings of relief.
Dunn finished 2 for 4 with four RBIs and two stolen bases, Keller went 3 for 4 with three runs and three stolen bases, and Averie Madsen reached base three times while scoring three runs and stealing three more bases.
The third and final day for Preston was a second matchup against Kimberly. This time Preston was ready.
“The difference between our first and second game against Kimberly was confidence and adjustments,” Hemmert said. “The first time we played them, I think we were a little overwhelmed early and didn’t play our game. In the rematch, we settled in, competed point for point, and showed what we were actually capable of.”
Preston started with a single by Averie Madsen, who was brought home by Ellie Keller’s RBI double for a 1-0 lead.
Kimberly tied it up 1-1 before Preston regained the lead in the second inning after Chloe Dunn singled and eventually scored when Maysa Jones reached on a right-field error. An error allowed Kimberly to tie it again 2-2 in the bottom of the third. Kimberly then went on to take the lead with two in the bottom of the fourth and one in the fifth for a 5-2 lead.
Preston didn’t give up. They came back in the top of the seventh inning and pared the deficit to one with runs by Oakley Hatch and Madsen. Keller stood at second after hitting a double and bringing Madsen home, but Biggs’ fly ball to right field was caught, ending the game 5-4.
“Looking back, there are always little things you wish you could change — a missed opportunity here or there, a different decision in certain moments — but hindsight is always 20/20,” Hemmert said. “More than anything, I wish we would have trusted ourselves sooner in that first matchup. The best moment of the tournament was honestly seeing the girls realize they belonged there and watching them battle in that final game.”
Regardless, Preston had a stellar season, finishing 25-4. They will miss the three seniors — catcher Paisley Campbell, Oakley Hatch and Samantha Owens — who have contributed a great deal to the team and the program.
“Our seniors meant everything to this team,” Hemmert said. “Their leadership, work ethic, and competitiveness set the tone every day. They brought experience, toughness, and composure in big moments, and they helped create the culture we want this program to have. What we’ll miss most is simply who they are as teammates and leaders. They left the program better than they found it.”
With only three seniors, the team will return a great deal of talent next season to continue what they started last season as freshmen and sophomores.
“The future is definitely bright,” Hemmert said. “We return a lot of contributors who gained valuable experience this season, and now they know what it takes to compete at that level. The expectation moving forward is to keep building, keep improving, and put ourselves back in that position again next year.”
Hemmert knows it takes more than just talent for a program to be successful. Behind the scenes are so many who support the girls and the program in a myriad of ways.
“I want to thank our seniors, all of our players, assistant coaches, parents, school administration, and the community for supporting us throughout the season,” Hemmert said. “The support means a lot to these girls and to our program.”