The biggest challenge for the ISU softball squad this weekend will be battling fatigue as it travels to Iowa City for the Fall Hawkeye Classic.

Last weekend, the ISU softball team swept all five opponents and won the National Invitational Tour in Moline, Ill., but fatigue became a huge factor due to the number of games the Cyclones played in such a short amount of time.

Iowa State played four games in two days, including three on Saturday alone.

It became five games total when the Cyclones won their fourth game, advancing them to the championship.

“It was tough physically, but it was good for our young kids,” said head coach Ruth Crowe. “It let them see what a tournament was all about.”

Crowe said the players were definitely worn out, but the greatest moment was when they overcame the fatigue to defeat Western Illinois for the tournament victory.

Although the defense made a few mistakes in a couple of its games, Crowe said she feels that bad defense will not become a trademark for Iowa State. Those mistakes can be attributed to fatigue for the most part along with the addition of new players on the field, she said.

“I feel like this is probably one of the better defenses that we’ve had,” Crowe said.

Sophomore pitcher Alyssa Ransom said the defense is what kept the Cyclones in the game.

“We were making some great defensive plays, and I just kept letting [Western Illinois] put the ball in play and we did our job,” she said.

As was the case in Moline, Crowe will not be going with a set lineup in Iowa City. She said she likes rotating the new players in and out because it helps the players and helps her to determine who can be a contributing factor to the team once the spring season rolls around.

Along with Ransom, there were three other players named to the all-tournament team last weekend, seniors Kim Rodgers and Diana Reuter and sophomore Ashley Killeen.

“Those are the people that we really need to consistently be there for us,” Crowe said.

Although the Cyclones won’t be playing any junior college teams this weekend, Ransom said the team will play just as well against Division I teams.

“Playing against those junior college and community college teams was a treat. I was kind of getting away with things that I won’t be able to get away with at Iowa,” Ransom said. “I’ll need to step my own game up a little bit.”

The first opponent on the Cyclone’s list is North Dakota State at 11 a.m. Saturday. Drake will follow at 1 p.m. to finish off the first round of the tournament.

Iowa State will start off round two on Sunday against Drake again at 3:30 p.m. with its last opponent being Iowa at 5:30 p.m.