The ISU softball team dominated the Santa Barbara Tournament last weekend and came home the champions.

Iowa State’s Erica Martinez pitched a shutout and hit a two-run home run stealing the championship game from Santa Barbara 2-0 on Sunday. The Cyclones went 4-1 for the weekend and moved to 7-8 overall.

In addition to Martinez’s shutout on the mound, she only gave up two hits and had 11 strikeouts in the final game.

The Cyclones finished strong against Santa Barbara, but the first game against San Diego State did not look as promising. The Cyclones lost 5-1.

“We did not play that bad,” head coach Ruth Crowe said, “but we didn’t play that good either.”

The team did not produce offensively, she said. “The team regrouped and got better every game,” said Crowe, referring to the team’s performance after the loss to San Diego State.

The pitching once again was a big factor in Iowa State’s victory against Cal State-Northridge. Martinez struck out 10 and only gave up one run.

Opposite of the mound, Martinez pulled through again up at plate. She was two-for-three batting and had two RBI.

“This was a really big win for us because Northridge is known as a good team,” Crowe said.

During the game against Utah on the second day of the weekend tilt, ISU pitcher Lindsey Herrin stepped it up to help lead the Cyclones to one of their victories. In Herrin’s first start of the year, she threw a six-inning shutout as the Cyclones won 2-0.

“She pitched really well, but we also had good defense during the game,” Crowe said.

The following game against Cal Poly was a close call and came down to the eighth inning.

In the top of the inning, Cal Poly had a runner on third and a fly ball was hit into right field. Ashley Core was there for Iowa State and fired the ball to home plate for the tag out. The out kept the score knotted at zero.

That was one of the biggest factors that determined the outcome of the game, Crowe said.

“It was a really intense and exciting moment,” Core said. “There was a moment of silence that seemed like it took forever while we waited for the umpire’s call.” The out gave the Cyclones a lot of momentum going into their inning up to bat, she said.

The winning run came during the bottom of the eighth inning when Kelly Wardein hit a single. The Cyclones took the victory from Cal Poly 1-0.

Overall, Crowe said she was thrilled to win this tournament and encouraged by the way her team finished it strong.

“This is probably the best we have played this season,” Crowe said. “We really needed to get better in pitching and we are getting there.”

The Southern Illinois tournament scheduled for this weekend was canceled due to cold weather and snow still standing on the diamond. The Cyclones play next in the Tulsa Tournament in Tulsa, Okla., March 7-9.