Strong first and fifth innings by the Cyclones propelled them to a 7-3 victory over in-state rival Iowa on Wednesday afternoon. Senior third basemen Courtney Wray had two doubles and senior catcher Alex Johnson and freshman designated player Erica Miller recorded two RBIs each.

Sophomore left fielder Heidi Kidwell got the Cyclones (22-13) started early, hitting a single to left field in the bottom of the first and then advanced to second on a passed ball. Right fielder Bianca Lopez then bunted Kidwell over to third.

The cleanup hitter Johnson then gave the Cyclones a 1-0 lead on a rope single that split the infield, scoring Kidwell.

Miller opened the door wider as she hit a two-RBI double, scoring Johnson and Sydni Jones, increasing the lead to 3-0 before the Hawkeyes were able to get out of the inning.

“I think Iowa always comes out really prepared,” Johnson said. “Especially when they play us. The intensity level picks up. Us knowing that and still being able to come out on top was really good for us.”

This forced Iowa coach Gayle Blevins to remove senior starting pitcher Amanda Zust before the first inning ended — Zust was replaced by freshman Chelsea Lyon.

The Hawkeyes didn’t get a runner on until the bottom of the third as freshman center fielder Johnnie Dowling reached base on ISU junior pitcher Rachel Zabriskie’s first walk of the game.

The walk seemed to give the Hawkeyes some fuel as leadoff batter Lindsey Digmann looped one over second baseman Amanda Bradberry’s head, scoring Dowling and cutting the lead to 3-1 before the inning ended.

Despite Iowa cutting into the lead, Iowa State’s mindset didn’t change as its has been part of back-and-forth games all season.

“Our coach just said to relax and not press for runs,” Wray said. “We tend to do that — jump on them then lay off — so that’s something we’re going to keep working on this season, is to jump on them early and keep that going throughout the game.”

Iowa sophomore catcher Liz Watkins led off the top of the fourth inning with a home run over the left-center field wall, cutting the Cyclone lead to 3-2. Zabriskie retired the next two batters to keep Iowa State in front heading into the bottom of the fourth.

Kidwell continued to produce for the Cyclones as she blooped a single into right and then was able to steal second. Lyon continued to keep the Cyclones at bay as she didn’t let Kidwell advance, keeping the score at 3-2 heading into the top of the fifth.

Wray jumpstarted the ISU offense in the bottom of the fifth with a double to left field that bounced off left fielder Jenny Schuelke and into foul territory.

The Cyclones would go on to have a big fifth inning as they got RBIs from freshman pitcher Tori Torrescano, junior shortstop Carrie Monroe and senior center fielder Kelsey Kidwell, and finished the fifth inning with a 6-2 lead.

Starting Hawkeye pitcher Zust re-entered the game for the Hawkeyes and ended the inning by picking Miller off third.

Iowa State’s speed on the basepaths was a factor in the win, as the team was able to beat out several grounders that may have otherwise been outs.

“Our team overall has really good speed,” said coach Stacy Gemeinhardt-Cesler. “Our fast kids are fast, but our three, four and five [hitters] are decently fast, too. Any mistakes that are made, we have a good chance of getting on. They are just athletic enough to do that.”

The Cyclones finished off the season sweep of the Hawkeyes in front of a crowd of 532.

“It was a great home season opener,” Wray said. “It made it even better that there were so many people here.”