The ISU softball team traded wins with Drake in its doubleheader Wednesday night, getting shut out in the first game 2-0 and rallying for a 5-1 victory in game two to snap an eight-game losing streak.

“It’s like the world was just lifted,” said co-head coach Gary Hines. “It’s great for the players, because they’ve been working hard – but they haven’t seen the results in the win column.”

Drake freshman Brynne Dordel dominated the Cyclone hitters in game one, allowing just four hits, striking out ten and walking two in a complete-game shutout for the Bulldogs (18-17).

“She was on in all facets of her game – she kept all of us guessing,” said sophomore Amanda Bradberry, who went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts in the first game.

Freshman Rachel Zabriskie pitched well despite being charged with the loss, allowing just two hits -but they were back-to-back solo home runs in the top of the fifth inning.

“Rachel just made a couple of mistakes that they hit out of the ballpark,” Hines said. “She was great until then – and she hung a pitch or two and they hit them out.”

Sophomore Carissa Carlin dominated game two for Iowa State, going the distance while striking out five and giving up only one earned run – a home run by Marilyn Buss in the top of the first inning. She kept Bulldog hitters off-balance all game, allowing only six fly balls against the most dangerous home-run-hitting team in the Missouri Valley Conference.

“I did my best to keep the ball low and away from their hitters,” she said. “I made a few mistakes, but fortunately they weren’t able to capitalize on them.”

Hines thought she did an outstanding job of shutting down an offense that had scored 36 runs in its last three games.

“She stepped up to the challenge and got it done,” he said. “She was tremendous for us, coming off how we’ve been struggling lately.”

The Cyclones had nine hits in the game, two each by sophomores Bradberry, Kelsey Kidwell, freshman Carrie Monroe and junior Jacquelyn Beatty. Sophomore Courtney Wray finished the day 3-for-5 with a walk.

Bradberry tripled to right field to start off the fifth and scored on a sacrifice fly by sophomore Sydni Jones to get Iowa State on the board.

The Cyclones added four more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. After leadoff hitter Kristy Olsen grounded out to third, Kidwell tripled to right field and Wray was intentionally walked in order to set up a possible double-play opportunity for the Cyclones.

Drake’s plan backfired when sophomore Alex Johnson walked on four pitches and Bradberry followed with a go-ahead two-run single – her second clutch hit of the night. After Jones struck out, Beatty and Monroe each hit RBI singles to pull away for good.

“She had struggled, but she went up there and attacked the strike zone and got a key hit for us,” Hines said of Bradberry.

With the win, Iowa State (24-18) tied its win total from season. The Cyclones have seen their record improve in every season of head coach Stacy Gemeinhardt-Cesler’s tenure.

Although he praised Bradberry’s clutch hitting, Hines believes the win was a result of the team executing fundamentals when the game was on the line.

“Today, everyone did the little things that we’ve been working so hard at in practice, and it paid off with the win,” Hines said.