Iowa State falls to Loyola Marymount, will face Liberty
Mikinna Kerns/Iowa State Daily
Iowa State then-freshman catcher Mikayla Ramos bats during the Iowa State vs. South Dakota softball game held at the Cyclone Sports Complex on April 2, 2019. The Cyclones had three home run hits and defeated the Coyotes 9-1.
May 24, 2019
Edit Note: The game to be played was incorrectly listed as UT Arlington and was changed to Liberty accordingly.
After leading against the Loyola Marymount Lions for six innings in the first game of the championship round of the Women’s National Invitational Softball Championship, Iowa State lost to the Lions by a score of 6-5 thanks to a couple of close ball calls and a late error.
Iowa State took the first lead of the game as junior shortstop Sami Williams scored off of a bunt by senior center fielder Taylor Nearad and an error by the Lions defense.
Nearad would come around to score off of an RBI single by senior right fielder Sydney Stites to increase the Cyclones lead to 2-0.
Loyola Marymount trimmed the deficit to one as Delanie Wisz scored off a wild pitch by Emma Hylen.
In the bottom of the third inning, freshman catcher Mikayla Ramos hit an RBI single where Stites and Nearad scored which gave the Cyclones a 5-1 lead.
The Lions chipped away at the Cyclones lead in the top of the fifth as Desiree Moreno hit a solo home run to bring the game to a 5-2 Cyclones lead.
Loyola Marymount cut the deficit to one as they scored two runs off of one hit and a sacrifice fly in the top of the sixth inning.
Trailing 5-4 in the final inning, the Lions got two runners on base with two outs and Sierra Marshall stepped up to bat for the Lions.
After getting ahead in the count with no balls and two strikes, Hylen threw four balls in a row, two of which could have been called a strike and Marshall earned a walk.
Up next was Maddison Flores and she hit a ground ball right back to Hylen which she bobbled and the throw to first was late as a result.
Flores hit a two-RBI single, and the Lions took their first lead of the game and would go on to beat the Cyclones 6-5.
Hylen got the loss in the pitcher’s circle for Iowa State, and her record falls to 18-10 in the pitchers circle. The Cyclones allowed six runs off of nine hits, and they were outhit nine to six.
Iowa State will play at 10 a.m. on Saturday against the Liberty Flames at TC Colorado field.
