One streak will come to an end while another streak continues this week.

Both the Iowa and Iowa State softball teams are riding two-game winning streaks and will clash in an in-state game in Iowa City today with the first pitch set for 4 p.m.

Iowa is coming off a sweep over Ohio State and is now 27-9 overall and 7-2 in the Big 10 Conference.

ISU head coach Ruth Crowe said playing the Hawkeyes will be a tough challenge for her team.

“I don’t know what we’ll do with that game,” said Crowe, whose team is 16-22 overall and 4-7 in the Big 12 Conference. “It’s important because it’s an in-state rivalry but yet at the same time, we have to get ready for the nonconference games that we have left.”

The Cyclones are back on the field after a weekend sweep over Baylor that featured two come-from-behind wins.

Senior catcher Katie Ruby hit three three-run home runs during the weekend series and senior pitcher/outfielder Erica Martinez returned to the lineup after missing five games with a stress fracture in her right arm.

Senior third baseman Adi Blackmon, who scored the first run for Iowa State in Sunday’s game, said the team is expecting a good game with Iowa.

“We always give them a good fight,” Blackmon said. “It’s going to a battle the whole game, just like the last weekend’s was.”

Last season, in their only meeting in Ames, the Hawkeyes scored their only runs in the first four innings and went on to win 10-4.

Iowa State was led in that game offensively by junior second baseman/shortstop Julia Lindsey, who went 3-for-4. Junior outfielder Kelly Wardein hit a two-run home run in the bottom of the second inning to make the score 3-2.

Martinez and sophomore pitcher/first baseman Lindsey Herrin split time on the pitching mound as they combined to allow 11 hits, nine earned runs, two walks and four strikeouts. Martinez took the loss on the mound as the Cyclones committed three errors in the game.

Getting down early and making defensive mistakes early in the game is something Iowa State will try to avoid on Wednesday.

“It’s been our trademark to do that,” Crowe said. “And we then dig this hole for ourselves and you can’t rely on that.”

After the Iowa game, Iowa State will travel to College Station, Texas, to battle Texas A&M in a weekend series. Saturday’s first pitch will be at 3 p.m. and Sunday’s is set for 1 p.m.