The ISU softball team went into its nonconference doubleheader against South Dakota State hoping to get back to the .500 mark they need to make regionals. It did just that, winning game one 10-1, and game two 14-0, pushing its record to 22-22 on the season.

“You try not to get to hung up on winning and losing and just [realize] that we’re getting better,” said coach Stacy Gemeinhardt. “I do think that us being .500 at this point in our season means that we are getting better.”

A reoccurring theme for the Cyclones has been winning the first game, then having a letdown and losing the second of a two-game series. In fact, Iowa State hadn’t won back-to-back games against the same opponent all season. Gemeinhardt cited some reasons for her team’s traditional struggles in game two.

“The teams we have played have made some good adjustments coming back, and I think at times we haven’t hit the next day,” she said.

After winning 10-1 in game one, it looked like the Cyclones might be on their way to suffering the traditional game two letdown. In the top of the first with Amie Ford on the hill, the defense made two errors and had a mental lapse that allowed South Dakota to load the bases. Ford, however, bore down and got the next three batters out, leaving the bases loaded.

“I thought that it was great for her because she has been struggling a little bit,” Gemeinhardt said. “She was able to work out of that, and that was completely her working out of it.”

Any fears that there would be a let down were put to rest by a first-inning Katie Reichling grand slam that brought the offense to life. The offense went on to score nine runs before the first out was recorded. By the time the first inning onslaught was through, the offense had erupted for 12 runs on 10 hits.

“It builds up a lot of confidence for tomorrow,” Reichling said. “Everyone throughout the lineup contributed, so it’s good to see everyone do their part.”

Reichling, who had been in a mini-slump, broke out with a huge day that included going 4 for 6, with three home runs and eight runs batted in.

“I felt like I was seeing the ball better today,” Reichling said. “Obviously, the pitching wasn’t as good as what we’ll see tomorrow, but it was really good to come out of the slump and really hit the ball hard.”

Also of note was junior Ashley Killeen’s tying the single-season record for RBI at 38.

Iowa State will be back in Big 12 play against Missouri on Wednesday, so the team made a conscious effort to not let the big lead affect the way it played.

“We tried to stay focused and we just wanted to keep improving as the game went on,” Reichling said. “We wanted to keep playing our game and not be worried or feel sorry for them and just keep playing hard.”

South Dakota State was previously a Division II school before making the jump to Division I. However, the Cyclones don’t feel the increased competition will be a problem when they face Missouri.

“We just have to know that we need to come in a little bit more focused and know that it might not be as easy as before,” Reichling said. “We just got to come back focused with the same kind of fire we had today.”

Killeen will go for the RBI record, and Iowa State will try and reproduce winning back-to-back games at 2 p.m. and 4 p.m. Thursday when the team faces Missouri in a doubleheader at home at the Southwest Athletic Complex.