Iowa State bounced back from a two-run deficit to beat St. Ambrose Tuesday, 7-4, at Cap Timm Field.

The Cyclones had a big four-run seventh inning to break a 3-3 tie and held on for the win.

Rob Conway, who went 3 for 4 in the non-conference match-up, singled in T. J. Bohn and Spencer Allen to put Iowa State ahead for good. Joe Urban had his second hit of the contest with a triple to right-center field, scoring Conway.

Ryan Wickham then singled in one more run to the shortstop in that inning, scoring Urban.

When West Branch native Aaron Vincent was substituted for starting pitcher Sean Egan for the Fighting Bees, he led off the sixth inning with a big mistake. Urban belted his second home run of the season with a solo shot to left field that tied the game.

“The kids finally made the adjustments. We started hitting the ball a little flatter and put a little more pressure on that defense,” ISU head coach Lyle Smith said.

Iowa State had been down by two runs before its big surge that began in the fifth inning. St. Ambrose catcher Chad Jones reached on an error by ISU pitcher Terry Nunn that scored Cain Reason and lead-off batter Neil Eigenbrod to break a 1-1 tie in the third inning.

Conway cut the lead in half two innings later with a base hit to left-center field that scored Allen.

Iowa State also scored the first run of the game in the second inning with a Wickham double to left-center field, scoring Koen, who also doubled earlier in that inning.

Brandon Cashman had the other of Iowa State’s three doubles in the fourth inning when he led off that inning with an extra-base hit down the left field line that barely stayed fair.

The ISU pitching staff only struck out five Fighting Bee batters. Nunn lasted seven innings, giving up three runs on seven hits. Substitutes Joe Bell and Mark Hanrahan, who received his second save of the season, gave up two hits each.

Nunn nevertheless got the win, improving to 1-1. Vincent lost for the Fighting Bees, falling to 0-3 in the two hour, 25-minute game.

Bell gave up the last run of the game when Jake Thomas drove in Heath Tepovich on a single to center field in the eighth inning.

The Fighting Bees threatened to bring the margin closer in that inning, but a Joe Murray groundout ended that threat.

St. Ambrose left two runners stranded on base in that inning.

Iowa State committed its second error of the game in the eighth shortstop when Jake Brown overthrew a ground ball to Urban at first base.

“All you’ve got to do is play catch, and you didn’t have to throw the ball more than 90 feet, and [Brown] about killed our first baseman with the second [error]. That’s a fundamental that he has not mastered yet,” Smith said, concerned about the lack of ball control in the game.

Each team had 11 hits. St. Ambrose left 10 runners on base, and Iowa State stranded eight. Iowa State had two errors; St. Ambrose had only one.

Smith says that the team got a surprise when St. Ambrose (11-23) came out strong in the beginning.

“We anticipated that they were not going to be a very good team. We finally got our act together [after being behind],” Smith said.

Iowa State, which improved to 17-21-1 with the win, will have another date with Minnesota today in Minneapolis at 6 p.m. The Cyclones beat Minnesota last week, 5-1, at Cap Timm Field.