After a remarkable comeback victory on Saturday, the Cyclone baseball squad was subdued by Texas Tech the following day, falling 12-1.

“Just when you think you’re doing something good and you’ve got a little momentum … you get your head handed to you,” Iowa State Manager Lyle Smith said.

ISU could not solve Tech left-hander Jesse Cornejo, who allowed just three hits and one run in earning a complete game win. Cornejo recorded 11 strikeouts on the afternoon to earn his eighth victory.

“We’re not doing a very good job offensively off lefties,” Smith said. “You’re not going to win any games with three hits.”

Despite problems at the plate, the Cyclones stayed in the ballgame for the first half of the contest.

The Red Raiders opened the scoring column in the fourth with a single run and added another in the fifth.

But ISU responded in the bottom of the fifth. With Tom Wierzbicki on second, Cyclone freshman backstop Jason McNertney punched a single into right field, scoring Wierzbicki.

It was McNertney’s first hit of his college career, after 25 failed attempts this season.

The McNerney RBI was soon unattainable, however, as Texas Tech stormed for three runs in the sixth to mount a 5-1 lead.

“Once they got that three-run spot, then it was kind of off to the races,” Smith said.

After playing conservative baseball for the first few innings, bunting to advance runners one base at a time, the Red Raider batters became free-swingers in the late stages. And it worked.

As the clouds over the field started to open up, so did the floodgates.

A two-run homer in the seventh by Tech’s Kevin Jordan chased Cyclone starter Shawn Sedlacek. Sedlacek’s final line was 6 2/3 innings, seven runs, 11 hits and four strikeouts.

Jordan, breaking out of a mini-slump, added a three-run clout in the ninth. Keith Ginter added a solo shot, and Miles Durham contributed an RBI triple in the five-run final frame.

The scoring outburst, with four runs coming off ISU closer Steve Larkin, left the Cyclones with a sour feeling and a 12-1 loss.

Tech catcher Josh Bard, the 1997 Big 12 Freshman of the Year, continued his torrid hitting against ISU. Bard connected for a homer for the third straight day and finished the series 7-for-10. He also walked four times and was hit by a pitch.

But the story of the game was Cornejo. He was especially tough on ISU’s 1-2-3 hitters. The three left-handed Cyclone batters at the top of the order combined for an 0-for-12 afternoon.

First baseman Jade O’Brien, who was 4-for-9 heading into the series finale, gave credit to Cornejo. He said the pitcher was not overpowering or overly crafty, but just got the job done.

“He was just getting us out,” O’Brien said. “It was just one of those days.”

After going 1-2 on the weekend, the Cyclones are 13-19 overall and 6-10 in conference. Texas Tech moves to 32-14, 12-8.

ISU travels to Stillwater, Okla., for an important series with Oklahoma State. The two teams, fighting for the sixth and final spot in the Big 12 Tournament, clash in a doubleheader tomorrow and single game on Wednesday.

“We’re both going to be fighting for that spot,” O’Brien said. “It’s going to be a make or break week.”