No. 3 seed Iowa State took care of business in the Big 12 quarterfinals Thursday, defeating No. 6 seed BYU 4-2 to advance to Friday’s semifinal round.
With the victory, the Cyclones improved to 31-22 on the season and extended their winning streak to three games.
Cougars strike early, Cyclones respond
BYU opened the scoring with a two-run home run to right field in the second inning, capitalizing on a pitch left up in the zone.
Iowa State responded in the third after freshman Jessie Clemons got on base. Then, freshman Karlee Ford hit a ground ball to third that led to an error, which allowed Clemons to score and cut the lead in half.
Iowa State then took the lead in the fourth behind a two-run blast from junior McKenna Andrews, who launched a ball over the left field wall. It was her third home run of the season and shifted the momentum entirely.
The next inning, junior Tatum Johnson added on with a solo home run to right center, giving the Cyclones a 4-2 advantage.
Iowa State’s offense collected seven hits, walked twice and struck out four times. Andrews and Johnson each recorded two-hit performances with home runs, while Ford was credited with an RBI in the third. The Cyclones stranded five runners and capitalized on BYU’s lone defensive error.
Ralston goes the distance, defense holds strong
Junior Jaiden Ralston delivered her strongest outing of the season, tossing her first career complete game. The right-hander went seven innings, threw 102 pitches and faced 29 batters.
She allowed six hits, two earned runs and issued one walk with two strikeouts and one hit batter.
Iowa State played solid behind Ralston, committing just one error that had no impact on the scoreboard. The Cyclones limited BYU to just one extra-base hit after the second inning and maintained composure late to secure the win.
Semifinal matchup set with Arizona
Iowa State now advances to Friday’s semifinal, where it will face No. 2 seed and No. 13-ranked Arizona at 5:30 p.m. The Wildcats are coming off a 4-3 comeback win over UCF.
Arizona enters the game with a 44-10 overall record. In the other semifinal, No. 1 seed Texas Tech will take on No. 5 seed Arizona State at 3 p.m. Friday. Both semifinal games will be streamed live on ESPN+.
