AMES – Following the series win against Kansas, Iowa State hosted South Dakota State (SDSU) in a doubleheader before a five-game away stint. With a 5-3 game one victory and a 7-6 game two victory, the Cyclones swept the Jackrabbits.
Game One
Jackrabbits up two after three innings
Junior right-handed pitcher Jaiden Ralston took the starting pitching position. The top of the first played out with a pop-up catch at second, followed by a foul out and strikeout.
With one hit and one left on base after the bottom of the first for Iowa State, both teams were scoreless. Starting the top of the second with a strikeout by the Jackrabbits, a flip was ahead.
SDSU put up a single followed by a homer, resulting in the Jackrabbits taking a 2-0 lead. The top of the second concluded with a pop-up catch by junior shortstop Reagan Bartholomew and a flyout caught by junior outfielder Tatum Johnson.
With two singles to open the bottom of the second, two runners were on base. Two groundouts and a lineout put a wrap on the inning.
Ralston opened the top of the third with a strikeout, followed by a fly-out caught by freshman outfielder Jessie Clemons and a popup handled by Bartholomew.
The Cyclones put up three hits in the bottom of the third. Freshman second baseman Sereniti Trice singled to third to open the bottom of the third. A double play by SDSU sent Trice and Clemons back to the dugout.
Johnson’s risky attempt to steal home base secured the final out of the inning.
Three runs push the Cyclones past the Jackrabbits
A pitching change occurred after a single by SDSU, as sophomore right-handed pitcher Lauren Schurman replaced Ralston. A double play by the Cyclones and a fly out sealed the top of the fourth.
The bottom of the fourth opened with a ground out. What followed was a walk for freshman catcher Karlee Ford and a single by the sophomore designated player Isabelle Nosan.
Junior pinch hitter Ashley Minor hit a fly out to center field, allowing Nosan to make it to third as Ford scored. With a triple by Clemons, Andrews and Nosan both scored.
The bottom of the inning closed out with a walk and a strikeout.
Two runs in the sixth secured a game one victory
With a runless fifth inning, Iowa State held the lead. The top of the fifth cruised by with two pop-ups and a foul out.
Similarly, the bottom of the inning closed out with two groundouts and a flyout caught in left field.
With a line out to Clemons and a flyout caught by senior outfielder Angelina Allen, the Jackrabbits were put in a tough situation. Ralston sealed the inning with a strikeout.
A fly out by Nosan landed the Cyclones the first out of the inning. Andrews walked to first, which was followed by her advancing to second off a wild pitch.
Trice hit a pop-up, landing the team its second out.
Clemons then stepped up to the plate and hit a homer that sent home Clemons and Andrews.
Ensuring Clemons is in the right environment to perform at the highest level pushes her for excellence.
“Keeping my body healthy, my mind right, kind of just keeping myself prepared and doing what I know I can do for the team,” Clemons said.
The bottom of the sixth closed out with Johnson hit by a pitch and junior first baseman Sydney Malott striking out.
Schurman opened the final inning with back-to-back strikeouts. Followed by a double, allowing SDSU to score. Despite the run scored, Schurman sealed the game with a final strikeout for a game one victory.
Game Two
Tied at three after three
To open the second game, freshman right-handed pitcher Abby Huhn took the opening job.
A double, a ground out and a single allowed the Jackrabbits to take the first run of game two, with a walk and a double play from Trice to Bartholomew to Malott to close the top of the first.
With five consecutive walks, two runs were scored for Iowa State. Starting with the first run scored by Trice, followed by Clemons.
With a sacrifice fly by Bartholomew, Johnson scored. Two fly outs and a challenge by the Jackrabbits closed the inning out.
The top of the second allowed South Dakota State to score a run after a lineout, groundout and a walk. With a final groundout, the top of two was complete.
In the bottom of the second, the Cyclones had one hit by Trice, two fly outs and a strikeout to close the inning.
The third inning started with a pitching change from Huhn to Ralston.
An SDSU batter hit a home run to open the inning, followed by two outs, a walk and a closing out by Bartholomew.
Allen opened the bottom of the third with a triple. A fly-out that followed allowed Allen to score. The inning ended with a ground out and a fly out.
As Allen began to find some momentum throughout the games, the reflection all goes back to the vital role of trust within the team.
“I’m really blessed to kind of finish out with this team because they make my job a lot easier,” Allen said. “I just kind of go out there and play free because they allow me to do that.”
All tied up at six in the sixth inning
The fourth inning allowed no runs for either team. One hit was recorded for the Jackrabbits in the inning.
In the fifth inning, South Dakota State recorded one hit, no runs, and one left on base.
The bottom of the fifth put the Cyclones back up 6-3. Three singles allowed Johnson to score, followed by a single from Ford that allowed Malott to score.
A strikeout and an out at second closed out the fifth inning.
With two outs on the line and a runner on third, SDSU scored a run. Two more runs were scored off a single and a throw, which tied the game at six runs for both teams.
The bottom of the sixth had no profit for the Cyclones as they had no hits, no runs and no runners left on base.
A walk-off run secures victory number two for Iowa State
With no hits, runs or runners left on base, the Jackrabbits’ final inning came to a close.
A walk, a single and another walk landed sophomore pinch runner Ireland Buss on third base. With a flyout by Ford, Iowa State took the win.
In preparation for this doubleheader, the team knew that coming up big would be needed.
Taking that momentum into Tuesday’s game against Northern Iowa will be fueled by trying to claim wins against all in-state competitors.
“If we want to be state champs, we have to win those games,” head coach Jamie Pinkerton said.
The Cyclones will head to Cedar Falls to take on the Panthers at 5 p.m. Tuesday. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
