The Iowa State baseball team dropped three games over the weekend to the Kansas Jayhawks at Cap Timm field. Despite solid performances from Junior pitcher Ryan Seifert and senior catcher Guye Senjum, the Cyclones weren’t able to pull out a victory.

Iowa State got a sensational performance from Seifert in the first game, though the Cyclones fell 3-2. Seifert struck out eight batters in 7.2 innings of work while only walking two and allowing one earned run. Hits were hard to come by for the Cyclones as they managed only three in the first game.

“Ryan did a very good job. He did a heck of a job pitching through the errors and only giving up one run,” head coach Lyle Smith said.

Five early errors plagued the Cyclones as Kansas jumped out to a one run lead in the first. Iowa State came back to even the score in their half of the third on junior Shawn Leimbek’s RBI single and took the lead in the fourth behind the bat of Senjum. Senjum belted a solo home run over the left field fence to put the Cyclones in the lead. Kansas came back and tied the game in the fifth and took the lead for good in the eighth scoring on three straight hits.

” We had numerous opportunities in the first game, and we wasted a good pitching performance by Ryan.” Smith said.

In the second game of the Saturday doubleheader, Iowa State rebounded by pounding out ten hits but came up short, losing 9-7.

Kansas jumped out to an early lead in the first with a two-run home run, but the Cyclones responded by scoring in their half of the inning. Senior left fielder Scott Vance knocked in the run with an RBI triple.

The Jayhawks scored again in the second to take a 4-1 lead, but ISU came back and scored three in their half of the second. Senjum hit his second home run of the day to open the scoring. Seniors Rob Ipsen and Mike Bahun scored on Vance’s second triple of the game to tie the score.

The Cyclones fell behind again in the third but again came back to pull within one in their half of the inning. The scoring continued as Kansas took an 8-6 lead into the eighth when they scored one run to put the Cyclones down three.

Iowa State was able to cut the lead to 9-7 in the bottom of the eighth with a pinch hit RBI single by freshman Aaron Runk, but that’s all the closer the Cyclones would get as Kansas held on for the win.

“It hurts because we’ve been on the road so much and the players say how badly they want to play at home, and here we are in a big series and we drop two that I felt we should have won.” Smith said.

Kansas was able to pull out the third game on Sunday, 8-6, dropping the Cyclones to 1-7 in conference play. Neither team was able to plate a run until the Jayhawks erupted for five runs in the top of the fifth inning. Senjum again came through for the Cyclones as he led off the sixth with a triple and scored one batter later when junior Matt McDonough knocked him in.

The Jayhawks continued to increase their lead through the seventh, until the ISU bats woke up and exploded for four runs in the eighth inning to pull with one.

Senjum once again led the Cyclone charge as he led off the inning with a double. Junior Bill Uelman belted a home run over the left field fence to bring in two more for ISU.

Freshman Jade O’Brien and Bahun scored on Leimbek’s RBI single, but that was all the Cyclones would get as Kansas scored in the ninth and shut down Iowa State for the victory.

“I was very pleased the way the guys came back and didn’t roll over and play dead, we had some good things going in the eighth.” Smith said.

“You have to give them credit, they played well and pitched well enough in key situations to get us out. It was a hard weekend because we really felt that if we operated on all cylinders we could win all three.” Smith said

The Cyclones continue their home stand and host Creighton on Mar. 25 at Cap Timm field. Competition begins at 2 p.m.