The Iowa State baseball team began its 1997 season on Sunday and Monday, collecting a 1-2 record.

On Sunday, the Cyclones dropped their first game of the season to Missouri Valley Conference foe Creighton, 14-12.

Senior left-handed pitcher Nathan Teut did a fine job pitching, leaving in the sixth inning with a 9-4 lead.

Teut saw that lead evaporate slowly. The comeback for Creighton was complete in the ninth inning when the Bluejays’ Ovid Valentin and Troy Carley hit back-to-back RBI triples to bring the final score to 14-12.

On a bright note for the Cyclones, newcomers Bill Uelmen and Matt McDonough homered while McDonough also collected a double.

The second game of the evening had ISU playing host to Air Force.

The Cyclones, led by senior newcomer Rob Ipsen’s home run and triple, ousted Air Force 12-8.

On the mound for the Cyclones, senior Ryan Siefert picked up the win, pitching five innings while allowing three runs on four hits.

Ipsen also struck out six of 22 batters he faced.

First baseman Shawn Leimbek and senior Clark Jones went four for four, doubling twice and scoring three runs.

The Cyclones found themselves in a familiar situation on Monday when ISU again faced the Falcons, in the second round of the series.

The only unfamiliarity came when Air Force beat ISU by a score of 9-5.

The offense for ISU, which was a mainstay in the first two games, sputtered as the Cyclones collected only four hits in the team’s third outing.

This was even more of a problem since the Falcons racked up 16 hits.

The Cyclones scored one run in the first inning and four runs in the fourth inning before the doors were shut on the ISU offense.

Iowa State newcomer Shawn Sedlacek suffered his first loss for the Cyclones, pitching 3.12 innings and giving up seven runs.

Collecting hits for ISU were Scott Vance, McDonough, Jones and Ipsen.

The Cyclones (1-2) will travel to Saint Louis on Saturday and Sunday, February 22 and 23.

ISU is scheduled for a doubleheader beginning at noon Saturday and a 1 p.m. game Sunday.