With a chance to redeem itself and avoid a season sweep by intrastate foe Northern Iowa, the ISU softball squad was defeated 5-4 in the seventh inning by an unlikely circumstance — a walk.

With the game tied at four in the bottom of the final inning and Northern Iowa up to bat, the Panthers rattled off three consecutive singles to place runners on all bases. The Cyclones made a pitching switch by trading Katie Reichling for Alyssa Ransom, who then walked the next Northern Iowa batter. The runner on third scored to complete the game.

“We didn’t make enough plays to win today, and we gave them more ways to win than we gave ourselves. We played well in spurts,” said ISU coach Ruth Crowe. “Katie fought really hard on the mound today and she really kept us in the game.”

Iowa State started the contest strong, as Reichling doubled to left-center with two outs in the first. A walk by Misty Kimura followed, and Reichling reached second on a wild pitch. Cary Akins popped her first home run of the season over the left-field fence, garnering three RBIs and the 3-0 lead.

Northern Iowa wasted no time in responding as Jamie Kelling started the lineup off with a single and Jen Sieleman laid a successful bunt. A walk to Tracy Davis loaded the bases. Erin Strellner bombed a single to left field that scored two before a double play ended the inning.

The Panthers pushed ahead in the third with a single by Rachael Rogers and a fielder’s choice by Strellner. Amanda Hess then doubled to right field, driving two home, giving Northern Iowa a 4-2 lead.

Iowa State again got on the board in the fifth after a walk and a sacrifice put Fallon Johnson on second, which was followed by an intentional walk from Reichling. Kim Rodgers then singled and advanced to second, scoring Johnson and evening the score until the Cyclones’ costly walk.

“We need to come out more determined to do something. We need to actually do something instead of just wanting,” Rodgers said. “I think we were holding back a little bit.”

Northern Iowa bumped its record to 15-16 on the year as Iowa State dropped to 12-24 overall. The Cyclones, still winless at 0-9 in the Big 12, seek to capture conference wins against Oklahoma State this weekend.

Oklahoma State sweeps into Ames with a 28-15 record under its belt, including a 3-6 standing in the Big 12. The Cowgirls recently suffered two losses in a doubleheader against No. 7 Texas A&M.

In last year’s contest, Iowa State was no match for the Cowgirls as it dropped both games in its doubleheader, 2-0 and 5-2.

Despite only receiving hits from former Cyclone Julia Lindsey and Reichling in the first game, nine different ISU players recorded hits in the second contest. The game was tied 2-2 in the third, but Oklahoma State kept its bats rolling to score three additional runs in the fourth. Reichling suffered the first loss on the mound for Iowa State, and Ransom took the second defeat.

Oklahoma State is running in the middle of the conference, ranked fifth in its team batting average with a .296 mark. Sophomore Shanel Scott is tied for seventh in the Big 12 at a .400 average, followed by senior Stephanie Nicholson at .371.

Scott has pounded out 56 hits on the season, good enough for fifth, as well as tying for eighth with 36 runs. Nicholson has blasted nine home runs on the year.