The Drake Bulldogs’ softball team would be happy if they never had to face Cyclone left fielder Tori Torrescano again with the game on the line.

Torrescano hit a key double in the 10th inning Tuesday against Drake, and eventually scored the game-winning run.

Torrescano followed that performance with a walk-off grand slam Thursday to clinch an 8-6 Cyclone victory over the Bulldogs.

“I was just thinking I needed to put the ball in play and hit it hard somewhere. A base hit is all we need just to keep it going,” Torrescano said.

The Cyclones struggled early Thursday when Drake jumped out to a 5-0 lead behind the bat and pitching arm of Jordan Gronewold.

Gronewold, Drake’s starting pitcher, hit a three-run homer in the second to give herself some run support on the mound.

In the top of the fourth, Gronewold struck again with a two-run home run, her sixth of the year.

With the score 5-0 in the top of the fourth, ISU coach Stacy-Gemeinhardt-Cesler opted to take out her starting pitcher, Rachel Zabriskie, and bring in Lauren Kennewell.

“I just knew when I went in that I had to hold them, and that if they scored any more, it would have been tough,” Kennewell said. “Especially with a young team, it’s hard to come from behind.”

In the bottom of the fourth, the Cyclones responded by scoring two runs behind RBIs by freshmen Anna Cole and Cassie Knutson, causing Drake to pull Gronewold off the pitching mound.

With Brynne Dordel now pitching, the Cyclones trimmed the lead again in the fifth when they loaded the bases but only got one runner to the plate on an RBI by Erica Miller.

Erin Mollohan hit a solo homer off of Kennewell in the top of the seventh to give the Bulldogs a 6-3 lead heading into the final half inning.

In the bottom of the seventh inning with one out, the Cyclones stayed alive on consecutive singles by Heidi Kidwell, Sara Davison and Dalyn Varela to load the bases.

Another single by Erica Miller brought Kidwell home and Torrescano to the plate with one out.

Torrescano smashed the game-winner over the left field fence on a change-up pitch from Dordel on a 0-2 pitch count.

“To be honest, I wouldn’t have chosen anyone else to be up there in that situation. I think she handles it very well in those pressure situations,” Kennewell said of her roommate, Torrescano. “She’s been hitting very well lately so I felt comfortable with her up there.”

The Cyclones now head to Austin, Texas, to face the University of Texas at 1 p.m. Saturday and again at noon Sunday.