Despite holding steady till the last inning, the ISU softball team dropped a 3-1 decision to the No. 14 ranked Nebraska Huskers Thursday afternoon.

The loss came a day after the Cyclones upset No. 12 ranked Iowa, 6-4.

Iowa State’s record dropped to 12-22 and 1-8 in the Big 12 conference while Nebraska continued to build on their current record of 40-10 and 10-1 in the Big 12.

“I would of been happy with the way we played if I felt like they came in with guns blazing,” head coach Ruth Crowe said. “I really didn’t feel like they did. I felt like they were a little flat and we really missed out on some opportunities.”

The Cyclones struck first in the bottom of the fourth inning off an Erica Martinez solo homerun to make the score 1-0. Iowa State had a chance to get two runs in the inning, but Julia Lindsey was caught stealing on the pitch before Martinez hit the homerun.

Crowe said she was caught second guessing herself after Martinez hit the homerun, but that the Cyclones should have used the opportunity to their advantage before that.

“We didn’t move our runner,” Crowe said. “We had our opportunities prior to my running with her and we just didn’t get it done.”

Nebraska scored one run in the top of the fifth to tie the game at 1-1.

Both teams were held scoreless in the sixth inning to set up a tie game going into the seventh.

The Huskers scored two runs on four hits in the top of the seventh to take a 3-1 lead in the game, but Iowa State was unable to answer in the bottom of the inning, leaving Kimi Yoshizawa stranded on second following her second double of the game.

Crowe said the Cyclones not capitalizing early on made a big difference in the game.

“I felt if we would’ve scored runs early and taken control of the game from the start, we would’ve been OK, but we didn’t,” Crowe said. “It just wasn’t enough.”

Jen Bice took the loss on the mound for the Cyclones, allowing three runs on five hits while striking out six. Bice pitched the complete game and retired 12 straight batters to start the game.

Martinez’s solo shot led the Cyclones while Yoshizawa had a big day at the plate, going 2-3 with two doubles. Julia Lindsey and Mindy Ogan each added a hit in the loss.

“Kimi Yoshizawa has really been a force at the plate for us,” Crowe said. “She’s really putting it all out there and doing a great job.”

The Cyclones return to action Saturday and Sunday when they host the Kansas Jayhawks at the Southwest Athletic Complex. Both games are at 1 p.m.

“It’s a very important matchup for us,” she said. “Kansas is in third or fourth place right now in the conference, and we really feel like we have an opportunity to do some things this weekend with the expectation to win.”