It’s one down, two to go for the ISU softball squad, as it won the first match of its intrastate trifecta Thursday night, shutting out Drake 2-0.

The Bulldogs brought an 11-10 overall record and a 3-3 mark in the Missouri Valley Conference but couldn’t prevail over key Cyclone hits at the Southwest Athletic Complex. Iowa State improved its record to 12-15 overall, and remains 0-2 in Big 12 play.

“Any win for us now is a good win, and we’re trying to get that momentum going as we get back into the Big 12,” said ISU coach Ruth Crowe. “We have very good non-conference opponents in our state, and it’s not a day off when we have to play one of them.”

Iowa State rallied behind the determined pitching of sophomore Katie Reichling, who posted two strikeouts while giving up four hits. Reichling was relieved in the seventh by fellow sophomore Alyssa Ransom, who closed out with the game’s last two batters.

“Katie hung in there, and Drake never really blasted the ball off of her. She’s a drop ball and ground ball pitcher,” Crowe said. “Katie and Alyssa both complement one another by throwing different pitches.”

Reichling said she felt good on the mound, and though she knew she could finish the game, was glad to share with Ransom.

“The defense behind me was great helping me get out of jams,” she said.

“I was hitting my spots well and I just go as long as I can. I was confident with Alyssa coming in.”

The shutout allowed Reichling to pick up her sixth win of the year.

The Cyclones scored their first run of the game when leadoff hitter Kim Rodgers bombed her fourth triple of the season to right center. Ashley Killeen knocked a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Rodgers and giving Iowa State the 1-0 lead.

Action was limited for both teams until the sixth inning when Killeen found her groove, sailing a solo home run on a 3-2 count over the right-field fence. It was her second long shot of the season.

Jessica Quade followed with a shallow single to left field, and a walk by Reichling and a bunt by Kristy Olsen put runners in scoring position. The Cyclones didn’t capitalize on that opportunity, but they didn’t need to.

“We were able to get some people back on track today, especially Ashley and Kim,” Crowe said. “We feel really good with our three-game streak, and we want to turn this into a winning record. We can’t expect anything less than that.”

Iowa State jumps back into the Big 12 arena to defend its streak this weekend at home against Texas Tech. The Red Raiders are 20-11 on the season and 0-2 in the conference after dropping two games to No. 7 Baylor.

Last year, the Cyclones split with Texas Tech in Lubbock, suffering an 8-5 loss in the first game but rallying for a 7-4 victory in the second matchup.

Freshman Jennifer Corkin paves the way for the Red Raiders with a .352 average, including 33 RBIs, 11 doubles, one triple and four home runs. Sophomore Ashley Parker leads the team at a .370 mark, and junior pitcher Erin Crawford has recorded 78 strikeouts.

Crowe predicts the team to be very well-coached and expects a tough battle for the Cyclones.

“I think they will be very scrappy and hungry for the win,” Crowe said.

“They have a number of new players that are an unknown commodity, so we don’t know what to expect.”