AMES — Kansas arrived in Ames ready to bring a competitive series just two days after Iowa State’s 9-5 Cy-Hawk win over Iowa. With a clutch third inning and tight defense, Iowa State took a game one 4-2 victory.
Jayhawks up 2-0 after two innings
The starting pitcher for Iowa State was sophomore pitcher Lauren Schurman. A walk opened the game, followed by a single to put two Jayhawks on base.
With a single down left field, Kansas scored two runs. Two simple outs closed out the top of the first with one runner left on base.
Freshman right fielder Jessie Clemons and junior outfielder Tatum Johnson both earned hits, but ultimately nothing came from those, and the opening inning closed out with two runners left on base for the Cyclones.
The top of the second opened with a single, followed by a ground ball resulting in a double play from Schurman to junior shortstop Reagan Bartholomew and rounded out to junior first baseman Sydney Malott. With another ground ball, Iowa State quickly closed out the top of the second.
With a foul out by Bartholomew, a strikeout by freshman catcher Karlee Ford and a quick catch by the Jayhawks, the second inning concluded. Throughout the game, Batholomew would become a defensive powerhouse.
“I think it’s just going out there and being there for my pitchers is the best,” Bartholomew said.
Johnson’s grand slam puts Iowa State up 4-2 after three innings
The top of the third opened with a groundout to first, where Malott tagged the runner for the first out. With a lineout and groundout straight to Bartholomew, the final two outs wrapped up the top of the third.
Junior third baseman McKenna Andrews opened the bottom of the third with a walk, followed by a single by freshman infielder Sereniti Trice. Clemons picked up her second hit of the game to load the bases.
That was when Johnson hit a clutch grand slam to put the Cyclones up 4-2.
“All I was looking for was a sacrifice fly or something like that, but it was a home run, and I couldn’t have been happier about that,” Johnson said.
Malott took the first out through a groundout and Kansas closed out the third with a double play on senior left fielder Angelina Allen and Bartholomew.
Defense closes out final innings to claim victory
Following Johnson’s grand slam, the plan for victory was focused on defense. The top of the fourth ended out with a groundout, a lineout and a foul out to close the top of the inning.
Similarly, the bottom of the fourth closed out with a groundout, a pop out and a flyout.
The top of the fifth opened with a pitching change for the Cyclones. Junior pitcher Jaiden Ralston pitched the rest of the game.
Two groundouts put Kansas in a danger zone. The next batter hit a single and stole second before Ralston struck out the final batter of the top of the fifth. One batter was left on base.
The bottom of the fifth inning started with two groundouts, a single to second and Malott out at first. Iowa State left one batter on base. After a pop out, flyout and groundout, the Jayhawks got sent back to defense.
The bottom of the sixth opened with a walk by Allen, followed by a pop out and a flyout. With Allen on first, sophomore designated player Isabella Nosan hit a single for Allen to advance to second. The inning closed with a flyout and two runners left on base.
In the final inning, the Cyclones shut down the Jayhawks’ final chance to tie and left victorious.
As Iowa State closed the game with the win, head coach Jamie Pinkerton picked up his 200th win as head coach and became the third coach in Cyclone softball history to earn the honor.
“We got young women out there that put me in that position and I get the credit, but I don’t throw pitch, well, in practice, I don’t field balls, I hit ’em, they do it,” Pinkerton said.
Iowa State is set to face Kansas in game two of the series at 4 p.m. Saturday. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
