AMES – After the Cyclones secured a 3-1 lead in the fourth inning behind junior Reagan Bartholomew’s two-run homer, momentum appeared to be in Iowa State’s favor, until it unraveled in the fifth.
Junior Jaiden Ralston had been efficient through 4.2 innings and was one out away from ending the frame. However, back-to-back two-strike singles kept the inning alive and another single loaded the bases for BYU.
Sophomore Lauren Schurman entered in relief, but the Cougars capitalized. A walk plated one run, then a two-strike single scored two more to give BYU a 4-3 lead. A hit-by-pitch and an infield error brought in a fifth run that completed a four-run rally.
It all happened with two outs on the board.
“We made some mistakes in the margins,” Iowa State head coach Jamie Pinkerton said. “[Thursday], we had similar plays and got away with them. [Friday], we didn’t. When you give a good-hitting team like BYU extra outs, they’ll make you pay.”
Not only did BYU have a four-run fifth inning, it had another in the seventh.
“They had two four-run innings. You’re not going to win many games giving up that many runs in single frames,” Pinkerton said.
Despite the collapse in the fifth, the Cyclones continued to compete. They scratched across two more runs but ultimately dropped the game 9-5, which puts them at 17-16 overall and 7-4 in Big 12 play.
Bartholomew, who had missed three weeks due to injury, delivered a strong performance with three hits that included a home run and two singles.
“I felt really good, especially being out for a while,” Bartholomew said. “Coming back and being able to help the team felt really good. I’ve just been trying to keep a positive mindset and be grateful to be back out there.”
Freshman leadoff-hitter Sereniti Trice helped ignite Iowa State early and set the tone with a quick top-of-the-first.
“As the leadoff, I wanted to set us up right from the start,” Trice said. “We went three up, three down in the first inning, and that was huge. It gave us momentum.”
Though the game slipped away, Trice said the team remained confident in its ability to regroup.
“We just needed to stay composed. Calling timeouts, slowing things down, and playing our softball. We’ve seen what we can do. Now it’s about putting it all together again,” Trice said.
Pinkerton added that the bigger picture remained in focus.
“We’re in a position we haven’t really been in before,” Pinkerton said. “We were in second place in the Big 12 before today, and while that might change, there’s still a lot to play for. Our RPI has been climbing, and if we keep playing our game, we’ll be in the postseason conversation.”
The Cyclones look to regroup and take the rubber match in the series finale at 12 p.m. Saturday from the Cyclone Sports Complex.
