The Cyclone softball team will face in-state rival Drake for the second time in three days Thursday.

Iowa State (18-17, 1-5 Big 12) beat Drake (24-14) on Tuesday in a 10-inning game by a score of 2-1.

“I told the girls it was probably the happiest that I’ve been after a game because of a lot of different things,”  said ISU coach Stacy Gemeinhardt-Cesler. “Just coming off the weekend, I thought they had a great practice Monday and then to come out yesterday and to play well, I think that’s a good sign.”

Cyclone ace Rachel Zabriskie pitched the entire game, giving up one run on just six hits while striking out eight Bulldog batters.

This will be the third meeting between the Bulldogs and Cyclones this season, after they also met in Tulsa, Okla., at an invitational event in a 3-2 ISU victory.

“They are going to come back a little bit more excited and a little more fired up because it’s not fun losing in 10 innings,” said Cyclone designated hitter Tori Torrescano. “But I think overall, we are better than them. I think we have better pitching and we normally hit better than we did [Tuesday].”

The teams were tied 1-1 after seven innings of play Tuesday, followed by two more scoreless extra innings.

In the top of the 10th, Torrescano doubled with one out and eventually scored the winning run on a fielding error by the Drake shortstop.

“Even though we played well, there were times that we didn’t execute and I think that any time that you don’t execute perfectly and you still win, that’s good to see,” Gemeinhardt-Cesler said. “We had less errors and more hits so overall, I’m just really proud of them.”

The Cyclones’ biggest challenge Thursday might be in figuring out the Bulldog pitching staff of Jenna DeLong, Brynne Dordel and Jordan Gronewold that has held ISU batters to just five runs in two games.

“I think we had a little bit of trouble adjusting to their first pitcher [Dordel] at the beginning of the game but Rachel did a great job pitching,” Torrescano said. “She kept us in the game when a lot of people were struggling hitting at first.”

The Cyclones will try to complete the season sweep of the Bulldogs on at 4 p.m. Thursday in Ames at the Southwest Athletic Complex.

“We’re just a more complete, better team than they are so I think we can do it three times,” Torrescano said.