AMES — Iowa State dropped its opening game against Baylor on Friday, falling 10-0 in a five-inning run-rule loss at the Cyclone Sports Complex.
The loss marked the Cyclones’ first series-opening defeat in conference play this season, dropping them to 28-22 overall and 13-9 in the Big 12.
After a scoreless first inning, the Bears jumped on Iowa State’s pitching and defensive miscues to score 10 unanswered runs across the next three innings, including a seven-run fourth inning that blew the game open.
Baylor totaled 13 hits and reached base 20 times with four walks, one hit by pitch and two Cyclone errors. Shaylon Govan and Brooklyn Carter each recorded three hits, while Leah Cran’s three-run homer in the fourth helped her tie Abi Flores for the team-high in RBIs with three apiece.
The fourth inning was the turning point, where mental lapses and free passes compounded quickly. Junior Jaiden Ralston began the inning with a hit-by-pitch, followed by a single and an error that allowed a runner to advance from first to third.
Govan’s RBI single made it 4-0 before another walk and a defensive miscue set up Cran’s three-run shot. Freshman Abby Huhn entered in relief and recorded the final two outs, but the damage was already done.
“We didn’t do any good in any facet of the game,” Iowa State head coach Jamie Pinkerton said. “Didn’t play well defensively, didn’t make plays. A team with that kind of speed, you can’t give them free passes, and we put too many on base.”
The Cyclone offense never found its footing. Baylor’s starter Lillie Walker held Iowa State to just four hits and didn’t allow a run through five innings. Iowa State struck out three times and stranded five runners, unable to respond after Baylor’s early runs.
“We didn’t answer,” Pinkerton said. “That’s a common theme with this team. Usually we do, but tonight we didn’t.”
Despite the loss, junior McKenna Andrews emphasized staying focused on what comes next.
“That was a bad loss today, but what we have to do now is just flush it and come back tomorrow,” Andrews said. “We know we’re a good team. It’s not a matter of them being better than us, we just need to make adjustments.”
Iowa State will have a chance to even the series at 1 p.m. Saturday from the Cyclone Sports Complex. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
