The ISU softball team ended its season in fitting fashion – balanced.

Iowa State traded games with Kansas over the weekend, winning 2-1 Saturday before losing 6-2 Sunday in Lawrence, Kan., to finish the season .500 (28-28, 4-14 Big 12). Iowa State finished the season with a .500 record for the first time since the 1999 season.

In the first game, freshman Rachel Zabriskie threw a complete-game three-hitter and Amanda Bradberry accounted for both ISU runs with a two-run single in the fifth inning. Zabriskie earned her 14th win of the season, the most by any Cyclone pitcher since the 1988 season. Sophomores Alex Johnsonand Kelsey Kidwell each had two hits in the victory.

Kansas pulled away from the Cyclones early in the second game on the strength of two home runs: a solo homer in the second inning by Brittany Hile and a three-run shot in the third by Val Chapple.

Cyclone sophomore Sydni Jones had two hits, and sophomore Courtney Wray homered in the loss.

The Cyclones outhit the Jayhawks in both games, 8-3 on Saturday and 7-5 on Sunday. Iowa State couldn’t capitalize on the advantage, stranding eight runners on base.

In Sunday’s loss, Zabriskie couldn’t match the dominance she showed in game one, taking the loss after allowing six runs and an uncharacteristic five walks while throwing her second complete game in as many days.

The loss dropped the Cyclones into a tie with Nebraska in the standings, but they won the run-differential tie-breaker, allowing them to grab the No. 9 seed for the Big 12 tournament. Nebraska had a chance to steal the seed with a victory over Missouri on Sunday but lost, giving the Cyclones the seed.

Iowa State will take on No. 8 seed Baylor on Friday in Oklahoma City, with the winner advancing to play No. 1 seed Texas A&M in the single-elimination tournament. Iowa State split a two-game series with then-No. 15 Baylor in Waco, Texas, earlier this season.

Last year’s conference champion, No. 2 seed Oklahoma (43-11, 16-2 Big 12), will take on the winner between No. 10 seed Nebraska and No. 7 seed Kansas. No. 3 seed Missouri takes on No. 6 seed Texas Tech, with the winner moving on to face whoever survives the Oklahoma vs. Nebraska/Kansas game.

No. 4 seed Texas will face No. 5 seed Oklahoma State, and although the teams finished the regular season with identical 9-9 Big 12 records, their seeding is meaningless because they will play each other for the right to face the winner of the Texas A&M vs. Iowa State/Baylor game.