Iowa State’s early softball season has already been a series of peaks and valleys.

The Cyclones (14-8) are currently riding a wave of success with a five-game winning streak propelling them into Tuesday’s contest with Creighton.

“This winning streak gives us a lot of confidence going forward to the Creighton games and into conference,” said Cyclone coach Stacy Gemeinhardt-Cesler.

However, keeping the positive momentum will be challenged by the recent obstacles the women have faced. After completing a three-game sweep of Wichita State on March 13, the Cyclones have faced a series of cancellations.

“There’s nothing we could do about it. This is why we have to take it one day at a time; it’s not ideal, but we can’t control it,” Gemeinhardt-Cesler said.

A two-game series against University of Missouri-Kansas City was scrapped, followed by a whole tournament lost due to weather. The Louisville Slugger Classic, hosted by Stanford University, was inhibited by rain. Without the tournament, the team lost six games, including two against No. 10-ranked Stanford.

“We aren’t the only team dealing with stuff like this. We have to be able to deal with adversity,” Gemeinhardt-Cesler said. 

Rachel Zabriskie has maintained her role as Iowa State’s favored hurler during the current stretch. Zabriskie has picked up wins in four-of-five contests, with Breeanna Holliday collecting the fifth.

Zabriskie’s abilities on the mound have kept the Cyclones afloat during the recent span. Save a five-inning obliteration of Wichita State, each of the other four games in the current span have been nail biters, including two one-run victories.

Gemeinhardt-Cesler praised every facet of her team’s performance and believes it is finding more balance.

“We’ve seen a lot of offensive improvement. Lately we’ve been playing better on defense, hitting and pitching,” Gemeinhardt-Cesler said. 

The current five-game streak matches the season long trend for the squad. Iowa State opened 2011 with a five-game win streak during its first home tournament. This was also the only other time the Cyclones have competed at home this season.

Creighton fell to Iowa State during the inaugural tournament, 7-0, and the Cyclones will look to bury them again and lengthen the winning streak.