IOWA CITY — The Iowa State softball team took down Iowa 9-7, fueled by standout performances from seniors infielder Reagan Bartholomew and outfielder Tatum Johnson.
Bartholomew and Johnson posted similar stat lines to push past the Hawkeyes in their last games at Bob Pearl Field.
Johnson’s two-run home run in the second inning put Iowa State on the board, while adding two more singles to finish her 3-for-4 day, boosting her .355 average to .367 for second on the team.
“Yeah, it definitely felt nice,” Johnson said. “Obviously, we were battling the whole game, but it felt nice to be able to help my team out… it’s always nice to beat Iowa, especially here.”
Bartholomew followed with a strong day of her own, featuring a single and double, starting 2-for-3 to continue her consistent production at the top of the Cyclone lineup.
“They’ve been doing it all year,” head coach Jamie Pinkerton said. “That’s what you hope as they mature and grow older… they grow into a leadership role and then the softball kind of just takes care of itself.”
In the seventh inning, Johnson hit her second single, getting herself on base, giving Iowa State a chance to replicate its late-game magic from earlier in the week.
Following a Hawkeye pitching change, bringing in senior left-handed pitcher Serayah Neiss, Bartholomew stepped to the plate. After taking the first pitch for a ball, she didn’t miss her next opportunity.
Bartholomew crushed the second pitch of the at-bat for her 11th homer of the season, sealing the 9-7 victory for the Cyclones.
“I’ve been a part of the CyHawk series my entire life, so just coming out here and being able to give our team a win… is everything,” Bartholomew said.
After Bartholomew’s three-hit performance, she improved her batting average to .444, which leads the Cyclones this season.
Bartholomew, an Iowa native in her second year with the Cyclones, reflected on her time in Iowa and what moments like this mean late in her career.
“It means a lot,” Bartholomew said. “I had a lot of family here, so it was good to beat them in front of some Hawkeye fans… my brother goes here, so that’s fun.”
Both seniors have taken on a leadership role for this year’s group of Cyclones, with Bartholomew leading the infield at shortstop and Johnson patrolling center field.
“I think that’s our motto this year… being able to respond is just what this team is really good at right now,” Bartholomew said.
Their impact has been felt not only in the important and clutch moments but throughout the entire season.
Iowa State looks to continue to rely on its veteran core to guide a young, competitive lineup.
“Everyone stayed calm the whole game, and I think that helped us out in the end,” Johnson said.
