The ISU Baseball Club extended its conference lead even more during the weekend in Ames, sweeping second-place Nebraska four games to none.

Iowa State’s record in the National Club Baseball Association currently stands at 16-3, with a 10-1 record in the Central Plains Conference.

In game one of the series, Brody Clark, senior in management, went 3-for-3 with a double and also scored a run. Iowa State’s mound ace, Kurt Boettger, junior in journalism and mass communication and Daily correspondent, pitched six innings and recorded four strikeouts to get the 5-4 win. Corey Susie, junior in mechanical engineering, closed out the game to get his third save this season.

It was much the same in game two when the Cyclones again won 5-4. Tony Kruse, senior in mathematics, went 3-for-3 with two stolen bases to lead the Cyclones. Jon Sibley, junior in transportation and logistics, recorded five strikeouts in his win, and Susie carded another save.

Kruse also showed off his arm this weekend as he recorded a win in game three without walking a batter the entire game. The Cyclones won 1-0.

In game four, Justin Koob, junior in computer engineering, hit a single with the bases loaded in the seventh to clinch the 4-3 ISU victory. Tyler Rutherford, junior in pre-journalism and mass communication, got his first win of the season on the mound, giving up one run on three hits.

“Winning four games against Nebraska didn’t clinch us the conference title, but the wins will go a long ways,” said Jake Reichling, senior in health and human performance and club president.

Midway through the season, Boettger has been the highlight of the pitching staff, with a record of 5-1 and a 2.85 ERA. Sibley has also been an anchor with a 4-1 record and a 2.01 ERA. Boettger and Sibley have recorded 31 strikeouts apiece. Susie is currently leading the country in saves, with four.

Offensively, the power has come from Evan Grieme, senior in finance. Grieme leads the team in home runs (2) and RBIs (10). Clark has a team-leading .483 batting average on the season.

The club is looking forward to its regional three-game series against the winner of the Western Lakes Conference. The series will be held in Ames on May 8-9. The winner of the series will advance to the World Series in Florida at the same complex where the Pittsburgh Pirates hold spring training.

“It’s been our goal all the way to get to the World Series. I think once we get there, we can stack up with anybody,” Reichling said.

The World Series is formatted just like the NCAA College World Series, with eight teams in a double-elimination tournament. Seven of the eight teams are regional champions from all over the country, and the eighth is the champion from a special larger league in Colorado.

“We need to practice as much as possible and keep swinging and working on our defense with finals coming up,” Reichling said.

The club will travel to Nebraska for another four-game series with the Huskers this weekend.