AMES — Iowa State suffered a 9-2 loss to No. 19 Oklahoma State at the Cyclone Sports Complex on Sunday afternoon. With the loss, the Cyclones fell to 24-17 on the year.
Two home runs by Oklahoma State in the third and fourth innings were blown over the left field wall, directly east of home plate, by a 30 mph wind from the southwest. Those hits widened the deficit to 8-0 and put the Cyclones out of reach.
Iowa State’s next game is at home on Tuesday against South Dakota. The Cyclones have already beaten the Coyotes one time this season. That 9-4 win was on March 13 in Columbia, Missouri.
Early ejection leads to spiral of unfortunate plays
Neither team generated any scoring in the first inning, but the top of the second triggered a chain reaction of unfortunate plays for the Cyclones. Senior right-hander Jaiden Ralston was brought to the mound to pitch the second inning. One walked batter later, Ralston was ejected.
“It was a called illegal pitch,” head coach Jamie Pinkerton said. “It was a carryover from Friday that it was called also.”
Cowgirls use wind towards left field to full advantage
Following the ejection, junior right-handed pitcher Ava Mullen was brought in to fill Ralston’s void. Oklahoma State’s Jayelle Austin hit a two-run RBI single that brought in the Cowgirls’ first two runs. Austin was tagged out at second on the play.
After Mullen gave up an RBI single in the top of the third, junior right-handed pitcher Lauren Schurman came into the game to take her spot. On her third pitch, Schurman gave up the first of two home runs by Aubrey Jones and Amanda Hasler. Whether or not the wind was a factor was something to consider.
Pinkerton believed that the two home runs by Oklahoma State would’ve also been gone with different weather. He also had the same judgment regarding Iowa State senior centerfielder Tatum Johnson in the bottom of the fifth.
“I don’t know if the three that were hit were really wind-aided,” Pinkerton said. “They were well-struck balls.”
With the exit velocity and the angle that all three hits had, Pinkerton believed it didn’t matter. As the one who was playing left field and fully experiencing the windy conditions, sophomore Jessie Clemons’ opinion was different from Pinkerton’s.
“It was pretty brutal,” Clemons said. “The wind, basically all game, especially towards those beginning innings, was definitely a significant factor for fly balls coming into the outfield.”
Clemons ended the game with three hits on four at-bats and a run. In the previous two games against Oklahoma State this weekend, Clemons had only one hit in each game.
