Iowa State opened its 2025 softball campaign in Miami, competing in the Felsberg Invitational. The Cyclones suffered an 8-2 loss to Stony Brook in the opener before dropping a heartbreaker to FIU 7-6 in extra innings on Friday.
Game One: Stony Brook 8, Iowa State 2
Iowa State got a promising start in the bottom of the first inning with a two-out rally. After back-to-back walks to juniors Reagan Bartholomew and Ashley Minor, fellow junior Sydney Malott knocked in a RBI single to give the Cyclones an early 1-0 lead.
Stony Brook responded quickly with a three-run second inning, capitalizing on a defensive miscue by the Cyclones. The Seawolves extended their lead with another three-run frame in the fifth inning, putting the game out of reach at 7-1.
Iowa State managed to add one more run in the sixth on an RBI single from Bartholomew, but Stony Brook tacked on another in the seventh to secure the victory.
The Cyclones struggled offensively, leaving 11 runners on base and going just 3-for-15 with runners in scoring position. Freshman Jessie Clemons was a bright spot at the top of the lineup, finishing 3-for-4 with three singles. Bartholomew and Malott delivered two-out RBI hits to account for Iowa State’s only runs.
On the mound, junior Jaiden Ralston pitched the first two innings, allowing three runs—none earned—after a costly error in the second. Freshman Abby Huhn provided 2.1 innings of relief but surrendered four runs, three of which were earned. Sophomore Lauren Schurman closed out the game with 2.2 innings, allowing one unearned run and striking out five.
Defensive mistakes proved costly for Iowa State, with four errors leading to five unearned runs. Despite combining eight strikeouts and only four walks, the Cyclone pitching staff gave up 10 hits.
Game Two: FIU 7, Iowa State 6 (8 innings)
The second game of the day featured back-and-forth action, with Iowa State taking an early lead. Senior Angelina Allen doubled home freshman Sereniti Trice in the third inning to open the scoring. FIU answered with two runs in the bottom half to take a 2-1 lead.
Iowa State tied it up in the fourth when Minor’s RBI single brought home Malott. In the fifth, Bartholomew broke the game open with a bases-loaded, three-RBI double to give the Cyclones a 5-2 advantage. The lead was short-lived as FIU struck back with two runs in the bottom of the fifth and another in the seventh to send the game to extra innings tied at five apiece.
In the top of the eighth, Malott came through again with an RBI single to give Iowa State a 6-5 lead under the international tiebreaker rule. But FIU capitalized on a Cyclone error in the bottom half, bringing home two unearned runs to walk it off, 7-6.
The Cyclones had nine hits in the game and hit .333 with runners in scoring position, but left seven runners stranded, missing several key opportunities. Transfers Bartholomew and Malott continued to shine. Bartholomew went 1-for-3 with a three-RBI double, while Malott finished 3-for-4 with the go-ahead RBI single in extra innings.
The pitching staff allowed nine hits and seven runs—five earned—while striking out just two and issuing four walks. The defense committed two errors, including the crucial misplay in the eighth that ultimately decided the game.
Iowa State will look to bounce back Saturday with a 9 a.m. matchup against Indiana in its final pool-play game. The Cyclones will then move into bracket play and hit the field again at 2 or 4:30 p.m. on Saturday. The championship and consolation games are set for Sunday at 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.
