AMES – Iowa State concluded its first home series of the season on a cloudy Saturday afternoon in Ames with a 4-3 win over Arizona State. Sophomore Lauren Schurman and junior Jaiden Ralston combined for a stifling pitching performance and gave up just one hit in the final five innings.
Cyclone head coach Jamie Pinkerton was proud of the effort after the game against Arizona State.
“They go to regionals every year,” Pinkerton said. “They’ve been a World Series team. They’ve won a national championship, so in that sense, it’s a named opponent. It’s a blue-blood opponent.”
A strong start
The game started on a high note for Iowa State. Freshmen Sereniti Trice and Jessie Clemons, who both have had terrific seasons up to this point, kicked off the bottom of the first inning with a pair of singles. Trice took advantage of a wild pitch to score the game’s first run, and a deep RBI double from junior Sydney Malott brought in Clemons to make it 2-0.
The majority of the offense for Arizona State came in the top of the second inning. It capitalized with a series of hits on ground balls and line drives to the infield that created extremely tough fielding plays. Iowa State gave up three runs before it closed out the inning.
Freshman Hayleigh Oliver kicked off another Cyclone rally in the bottom of the second inning with a walk. Freshman Karlee Ford followed that up with a double crushed to left field before Oliver scored on a fielder’s choice. Clemons brought in Ford with an RBI sacrifice fly, which established a 4-3 Cyclone lead.
Brown slows the Cyclone offense
After the pair of runs, Kenzie Brown came in to pitch for Arizona State to clean up the bottom of the second, and she did more than that. As soon as she entered the game, the atmosphere in the ballpark changed.
With a 1.09 ERA on the season, Brown has shut down nearly every offense she’s faced. Saturday’s game was no different, as she pitched the rest of the game, posted nine strikeouts and only gave up one hit.
The strong performance from Brown put pressure on the Iowa State pitching staff to maintain the lead. Schurman and Ralston rose to the occasion. After the second inning, Schurman shut down the Arizona State offense, holding the lead until she was relieved.
Ralston finishes the job
Ralston took over in the top of the fifth and was lights out for the remainder of the game. She did not give up a hit in the three innings she pitched, and although the Cyclone coaches had the pitching staff warming up in the bullpen for most of the back half of the game, they were never needed as Ralston continued to perform in the circle.
“I had a little struggle in the beginning, but I found it,” Ralston said. “I knew my defense was behind me, and that we had a lead, I just had to keep it.”
In the top of the seventh inning, as the Cyclones tried to close out the game, Arizona State had the potential tying run on first base, but she was called out at first base for leaving the base early on a strike ball.
Following a review, the call was confirmed and the Sun Devils’ coaching staff was not happy. After a shouting match with the first base umpire, hitting coach Josh Bloomer was ejected. Iowa State used the momentum from the baserunning error and closed out the win.
The win brings the Cyclones to 16-15 on the season. A hot 6-3 start in conference play has Iowa State in third place in the Big 12.
The Cyclones will take the field on Tuesday in Ames for a doubleheader against South Dakota State at 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. The games will be live-streamed on ESPN+.
