Big 12 softball leader Texas corralled Iowa State Saturday at the Southwest Athletic Complex to take both ends of a doubleheader, 5-1 and 1-0.

Longhorn freshman pitcher Cat Osterman silenced the Cyclone bats, earning victories in both games to improve her record to 27-7 on the year, while striking out 30 on the day.

“There is a reason why she is probably one of the top pitchers in the country, even as a freshman. You saw it today,” ISU head coach Ruth Crowe said. “The thing that makes her good is she can put the ball wherever she wants to put it.”

A tough first inning put Iowa State in a early hole it could not dig itself out of in the opener.

Two Texas hits and three Cyclone errors led to three unearned runs in the top of the first for the Longhorns.

No. 16 Texas (41-10, 14-1) held a 5-0 advantage before Iowa State (16-20, 5-9) attempted to rally in the bottom of the seventh.

Kelly Wardein singled in pinch runner Ashley Core to cut the lead to 5-1, but Osterman retired the next two Cyclone batters to end the game and leave two runners on base.

Erica Martinez took the loss from the circle for Iowa State as she was hurt by errors.

“Defensively, we had four errors by the infield. You can’t do that,” Crowe said.

“You really can’t give a team like that with a pitcher like that runs. You have to come out and know it’s going to be a close game.”

In game two, Osterman outdueled Martinez again as Texas took advantage of an ISU miscue to take a 1-0 victory.

Erin Mahoney led off the fourth inning with a single.

The Cyclones guessed right and pitched out as Mahoney tried to steal second base, but Mahoney made it safely as Iowa State could not make a clean throw.

After ISU recorded the next two outs, a fielding error by second baseman Molly McNertney allowed Mahoney to score.

The one run was all Osterman needed. After striking out 14 and giving up three hits in the opener, she fanned 16 while allowing only two hits in the finale.

Martinez was just as good in the second game, but she took the loss as her record fell to 9-13.

The story of the doubleheader was the performance of Osterman, a 6-foot-1 left-hander, who with her 30 strikeouts increased her season total to 435 and moved closer to the national freshman record of 469.

“She’s a great pitcher. She’s been on the national team since she was 17 years old,” Wardein said. “We just didn’t do what we needed to do. The first pitch was always there and we didn’t attack. I think we let being who she is scare us a little bit.”

Martinez with three hits and Wardein with two accounted for all of ISU’s hits off of Osterman.

The Cyclones head into the final week of the regular season by traveling to Stillwater to face Oklahoma State in a doubleheader Monday at 12:30 p.m.

“They are right in the middle of the pack where we are,” Crowe said of the Cowboys.

“We just need to put some things together. I think they have good pitching, but it won’t the same as facing [Osterman]. That will help us out.”