The ISU softball team was swept by Oklahoma State in Stillwater, Okla., this past weekend. The loss was the fourth straight for the Cyclones (12-28, 1-11 Big 12), who have won only three of their last 16 games overall.

Iowa State put up 13 runs total during the three-game weekend and lost by a combined margin of only six runs, but defensive and pitching lapses were too costly to overcome. The Cyclones committed six errors on the weekend while the Cowgirls (21-16, 5-6) committed only one.

“The end result isn’t what we wanted,” said ISU coach Stacy Gemeinhardt-Cesler. “Offensively, I think we did some good things. I think we kicked the ball around a little bit too much on defense and just had a little bit of a problem holding their offense down.”

Iowa State’s 7.19 team ERA is last in the Big 12 this season. Opponents are batting .357 off of Cyclone pitchers this season, including a league-high 53 home runs in 40 games.

“A lot of it comes down to how much the pitchers want to do,” Gemeinhardt-Cesler said. “If they’re doing what we’re telling them in practice, then that’s pretty much the minimum. “

Junior Tori Torrescano pitched eight innings on the weekend and allowed only three earned runs, while sophomore Taylor Smith allowed eight earned runs in 6.2 innings of work. The duo has pitched more than 65 percent of Iowa State’s innings this season.

“We need to keep on working all areas, whether it’s physically, mentally,” Gemeinhardt-Cesler said. “They’re definitely capable. They just have to buckle down and get the fight to do it.”

Pitching coach Gary Hines has been trying new things in practice in order to spark an advantage in his staff.

“We try a lot of different things,” Gemeinhardt-Cesler said. “We just have to keep on working.”

Despite the close losses over the weekend and the lack of conference wins this season, Iowa State still has been able to compete and maintain a focused nature thus far.

“I thought they battled the whole time [Saturday] through both those games,” Gemeinhardt-Cesler said. “That’s a pretty good indicator that they’re still willing to fight. They definitely didn’t ever just roll over and give up.”

The Cyclones have 12 conference games remaining and are only halfway through the Big 12 schedule. Among the remaining foes are powerhouses Missouri and Oklahoma, both of whom will travel to Ames to face the Cyclones within the next few weeks.

The Cyclones return to the field Wednesday afternoon for a matchup against rival Iowa.