The ISU baseball team rallied out of big-time slumps and barely got its first two wins this weekend in a one-run margin fashion as they beat St. Louis Friday, 9-8, and Northwestern State (La.), 5-4, in 10 innings. The Cyclones also tied with Centenary, 6-6, in the capper Sunday at Brown-Stroud Field in Natchitoches, La.In the opening game Friday, Brent Koen drove in the winning run in a three-run ninth inning that gave the Cyclones their first win of the year, breaking their six-game losing streak.However, Iowa State had to fight hard to get the victory. St. Louis got on the board quickly in the first inning as they took a 3-0 lead.But Iowa State’s Joe Urban smacked the first of his three hits in four at-bats in the second inning, a hit that drove in T.J. Bohn. Spencer Allen then drove in Rob Conway on a single to center field which cut the deficit to one run.The Cyclones added one more run in the fifth inning after the Billikens tallied two more runs right after the Cyclones’ second-inning, two-run campaign.It seemed as if it was going to be another Cyclone loss when St. Louis added three runs in the fifth and sixth innings to put the Billikens ahead after 6 1/2 innings, 8-3.Instead, Iowa State contributed three more runs in the seventh and eighth innings to cut the lead to two. Mike Zeller led off the ninth inning with a home run that cut the lead to one run. St. Louis reliever Dan Parker than retired Ryan Wickham and struck out Bohn. However, Bohn raced safely to first on a passed ball by the Billikens’ catcher Andrew Slania. Conway then tied the game with a single that drove in Bohn. Koen then took care of the rest, driving in Conway for the winning run.Terry Nunn (1-0) won his first official pitching decision in the three-hour game. St. Louis out-hit the Cyclones, 11-8.It was another close game Saturday against host-school Northwestern State as Iowa State had to play catch-up once again falling behind 4-0 after five innings of play.Alex Donnelly (1-0), who grabbed the win on the mound for the Cyclones, eased the Demon rally, not allowing another hit in 4 1/3 innings. He walked two batters and struck out three.”He is the star of the weekend,” ISU head coach Lyle Smith said. “He came out strong for us.”When the sixth inning came, Iowa State scored four of its own runs, tying the game 4-4. Bohn drove in two runs as he singled to the middle part of the field. Conway then drove in Bohn and Wickham, who had been walked earlier in the inning, to knot the game.The winning run came in the 10th inning when Bohn notched his second hit of the game, scoring Nordby.Donnelly struck out all three batters at the plate in the bottom of the 10th inning to clinch the win.The final game of the weekend against Centenary Sunday was unique. Iowa State would have loved to conclude the four-hour game when it was tied after nine innings, but if they would have tried, they would have missed their plane back to Ames, Smith said.Sunday’s game began like Friday’s as the Cyclones fell into the cellar as the Gents took a 4-0 lead after just one inning. Centenary’s B.J. Grenda singled, scoring Bobby Gilliam and Mark Duranski, putting the Gents up by two runs. Starter Alan Bomer then gave up a Seth Winterer single, a wild pitch and a walk that loaded the bases. Two two-out hits came around home plate to score.Following the first inning, Bomer threw a one-hitter through the next 3 1/3 innings and struck out six batters.Cutting the lead in half after the third inning, Iowa State battled back in the fourth inning as Adam Christ doubled to center field, scoring Conway. The Cyclones then took their first lead when Zeller drove in Christ with a single. They added to their lead in the next inning as they scored one more run.The Gents came back with two more runs of its own in the seventh and ninth innings before the game was called off.Iowa State out-hit Centenary, 14-9, in the tie. They left 10 Gent runners on base.”It was disappointing,” Smith said. “We out-hit them; we stranded their runners.” But Smith said that a tie is better than a loss.Iowa State improved to 2-6-1. The Cyclones will travel to Arkansas State to play a three-game series next weekend.