Courtesy of Boise State Athletics –
SAN DIEGO – In pregame warmup, Boise State freshman right-handed pitcher Olivia Bauer saw a monarch butterfly. It matches the tattoo on her throwing arm she has to honor her grandparents.
“It has to be good luck,” Bauer said before the game.
Bauer (9-4) had more than luck on her side as she gave a royal performance in the opening game of the 2025 Mountain West Softball Championship with a shutout while recording nine outs on the ground as Boise State posted a 6-0 win.
With the win, the Broncos (34-20) advanced to the double-elimination portion of the tournament and will face top-seed Nevada, Thursday at 3 p.m. PT/4 p.m. MT.
Boise State scored multiple runs in three innings and four of their six runs came with two outs.
In the first inning, Brooklynn Pettis beat a throw to second with two outs as Leah McAnally reached on a fielder’s choice and Mykenzie Hanna scored the game’s first run. Megan Lake followed with a single to drive in Pettis for a 2-0 lead.
In the third, Makenzie Butt led off with a double and scored when Pettis reached on an error. With two outs, Sydney Groves plated Pettis with an RBI-single for a 4-0 advantage.
Chloe Hughes opened the fifth with a single and stole second. With one out, Hanna singled to put runners on the corners. Butt knocked in her 77th run of the season with a single to make the score 5-0. With two outs, McAnally added an RBI-single to put the Broncos up 6-0.
NOTES
- The Broncos defeated the Aggies for a fourth-straight game after sweeping a three-game series at home to close the regular season.
- Olivia Bauer recorded the first shutout by a Bronco in a conference tournament game.
- Mykenzie Hanna scored twice to move into a tie for second on the Mountain West’s single-season list with 69 runs.
- Sophia Knight tied a school record with her fifth triple of the season.
