The Cyclone softball team upset No. 17 Oklahoma State on Saturday in Ames in the first of two games over the weekend.

It was the first time Iowa State has beaten a ranked team at home since April 22, 2006, against No. 22 Oklahoma.

“I thought we did a great job of attacking and having good at-bats through the entire line-up,” said ISU coach Stacy Gemeinhardt-Cesler. “It’s a matter of doing what you can with the pitches you get.”

Heidi Kidwell was Iowa State’s first batter in the game Saturday, and she gave the Cyclones a big boost with a lead-off home run.

“It just set the pace a little bit that we are here, we’re attacking and we’re ready to go,” Gemeinhardt-Cesler said of Kidwell’s home run.

The Cyclones would add to their lead in the fourth inning with another home run, this time it came off the bat of Tori Torrescano, giving the Cyclones a 2-0 lead.

ISU pitcher Rachel Zabriskie held the Cowgirls scoreless through five innings before a three-run homer by Chelsea Garcia gave Oklahoma State a 3-2 lead.

“I didn’t feel like I was tired,” Zabriskie said of her rough sixth inning. “I guess I just lost my purpose. I always try to have a purpose and a goal when I go out there, and I just got a little complacent.”

Having lost its lead, the Cyclone offense came out knowing it had work to do. Dalyn Varela drew a rare walk from Oklahoma State pitcher Kat Espinosa, to put the tying run on base. Erica Miller came to the plate with two outs and battled through a long at-bat, fouling off multiple pitches with a full count.

Miller finally found a pitch she liked and blasted it over the fence in center field to give the Cyclones a 4-3 lead.

“In her first two at-bats we talked about her making some slight adjustments and she was able to do that,” Gemeinhardt-Cesler said of Miller’s home run. “When she is hitting the right way, she has a ton of power.”

As the seventh inning began, the Cyclones were three outs away from completing the upset.

Zabriskie gave up a single to Ari Morrison to start off the inning. Morrison later stole second and advanced to third on a throwing error by catcher Amandine Habben.

After some nervous moments for the Cyclones with the tying run a base away, Zabriskie put an end to the inning with a strikeout before getting the final batter to fly-out to center field.

The win, which Gemeinhardt-Cesler called “huge for the ISU program,” moved the Cyclones — at the time — to 15-8 on the season and 1-0 in Big 12 play.