The ISU baseball team ended a 10-game losing streak and picked up its first Big 12 win of the season with a 4-1 victory over Kansas in the second contest of a three-game series at Lawrence, Kan., last weekend.

However, the Cyclones were not able to put together a complete series against the Jayhawks as they dropped the other two games by scores of 7-3 and 11-6 to fall to 4-12 on the season and 1-5 in Big 12 play.

“It was a situation where we won a game, whupty doo,” ISU head coach Lyle Smith said. “We wanted to win more than one, and we’re not satisfied with how we played.”

The Cyclones surrendered a total of 18 runs in their two losses, thanks to sloppy defense and inconsistent hitting. Iowa State totaled 10 errors in the series to just three for Kansas.

“We just did not execute,” Smith said. “We could have won those [other two] games if we would have played better defense and got some timely hits.”

Iowa State’s lone victory came behind another strong outing from Charly Bigwood on the mound. The Cyclone hurler used his fast-paced style to strike out 10 Jayhawks while only surrendering five hits as he tossed his third complete game of the season.

“I felt pretty good going out there, and I was able to find the strike zone,” Bigwood said. “I try to work fast, which doesn’t let the defense relax and lets them feel more into the game.”

Iowa State was also aided by clutch hitting from Ben Van Iderstine. The Cyclone right fielder gave Iowa State a 2-1 advantage in the seventh inning with a two-out single scoring Spencer Allen from second base. He then delivered a big ninth-inning triple to drive home Allen and give the Cyclones some needed insurance.

“I think I’m starting to get some confidence up there,” Van Iderstine said after going 7-for-15 in the series. “I’m seeing some good pitches and starting to catch some breaks.”

Smith tinkered with his lineup to boost the ISU offense by moving All-American left fielder Aaron Runk from the leadoff spot to batting cleanup behind Van Iderstine. He said Van Iderstine is benefiting greatly from this change.

“We moved Runk to cleanup because he wasn’t getting an opportunity to drive in runs leading off; they were just pitching around him,” Smith said. “Ben is going to see a few more fastballs now because they don’t want him on with Runk up next.”

The Cyclones will now begin a two-week layoff from Big 12 competition as they head to Springfield, Mo., next weekend to take on Southwest Missouri State. Smith said Iowa State must continue working on putting every phase of the game together if they hope to be successful against a team that qualified for NCAA Regional play last year.