Cyclones come up short against No. 1 Oklahoma in doubleheader

Iowa State senior Taylor Nearad is congratulated by teammate Sally Woolpert after scoring the Cyclones’ first run against UNI on Tuesday, April 16. Nearad scored after the Panther’s pitcher dropped a pitch. The Cyclones won, 2-0.

John Miller

The Iowa State Cyclones (28-20, 4-10 Big 12) dropped two games to No. 1 Oklahoma (44-2, 14-0 Big 12) on Friday, 8-3 and 9-2.

Over the course of the day, the Cyclones showed signs of life, but the power displayed by the Sooners proved too much to overcome as they hit six home runs.

After the Cyclones held the Sooners scoreless in the first inning of game one, Oklahoma stormed out in the second, as they scored six runs on three home runs, including a grand slam from Jocelyn Alo, her 10th hit in her last 13 at-bats.

“Once they get ahead early, it can be hard to not start pressing,” said coach Jamie Pinkerton.

Taylor Nearad got the first hit for the Cyclones in the bottom of the fourth with a lead-off double. She ended up scoring a Sooners’ error. Shortly thereafter, Sydney Stites doubled off the wall to bring in Talyn Lewis to make the score 6-2.

The Sooners got back on the board in the fifth, as Shay Knighten hit her second home run of the day and Grace Lyons doubled to bring in Raegan Rogers.

“If a home run is hit, we just have to let it go,” Stites said.

Iowa State was final to score though as Stites led off with a homer of her own in the bottom of the seventh inning, her fourth of the season.

Savannah Sanders got the start for the Cyclones, giving up seven hits, five walks and three strikeouts. Tatum Ksiazek, who came in relief, pitched two scoreless innings, allowing no hits and walking two.

In game two, the Sooners struck hard in the second inning once again, scoring four runs.

The Cyclones did not let that burst their momentum at the plate. In the third, Nearad came up with a two-run homer, her fourth on the year.

Oklahoma pushed across a run in the fourth when Lyons grounded out to score Elam from third.

In the fifth, Kylie Lundberg singled in Grace Green, and then, Elam followed that up with her second home run of the day, putting Oklahoma’s total to six.

Ksiazek entered the game in relief for Emma Hylen for the sixth and seventh innings, holding the Sooners scoreless.

“In sports, you can’t be perfect but you have to do the little things right and we didn’t do that today,” Pinkerton said.

Iowa State moved tomorrow’s game to today due to weather concerns.

The first pitch of the final game of the series is scheduled for noon Sunday.