They started with four, then had three, then two, and now Iowa State is down to just one pitcher.

Junior pitcher Charissa Carlin dislocated and fractured her finger in the game against Oklahoma on Sunday and had surgery to pin in up on Tuesday. She will miss the rest of the season.

Carlin joins the disabled list with freshman pitchers Lauren Kennewell (broken arm) and Katie Harms (shoulder impingement) leaving the Cyclones grossly understaffed on the mound for the remainder of the season.

“You know that Rachel can’t throw every single game from here on out, it’s just impossible,” head coach Stacy Gemeinhardt-Cesler said. “So we are looking at Lauren to start to recover a little faster and Katie Harms, we are going to have to put some pressure on her, one way or another, to play.”

Harms’ status is still day to day. Gemeinhardt-Cesler said that she seems to be getting better at times but then the pain in her shoulder returns. Kennewell is currently rehabbing her arm and Gemeinhardt-Cesler said she can throw 20 pitches a day, although whether those pitches will be in a game remains to be seen. Without a reliable second pitcher, the Cyclones will have to reach deep into their bag of tricks in the upcoming weeks.

“It goes back to [outfielder Bianca Lopez] throwing some innings, hopefully Katie can throw some innings,” Gemeinhardt-Cesler said. “[Short stop Courtney Wray] used to throw in high school, I mean, there is no master plan, it’s just going to kind of be, ‘Throw it out there and see what you get’ and that’s all we can do now.”

With all these fallen pitchers, lone starter Rachel Zabriskie is trying not to think about being the only one left.

“I feel like even when I don’t do well, I have people to back me up,” Zabriskie said. “I guess having a lot more to think about is a good way of putting it.”

Although the situation is less than desirable, the team is trying to stay positive about the pitching situation.

“More pitchers are coming alive, and our team, we are going to pick up some people that haven’t pitched in a while and try them out so maybe we will have some element of surprise with new people that they are not expecting,” Zabriskie said.