PROVO — The Iowa State softball team came out on top in a high-scoring 14-10 win against the BYU Cougars. The victory improves the Cyclones’ overall record to 26-17 and 6-10 in Big 12 play.
Record-breaking power and a steady presence in the circle pushed Iowa State past the Cougars.
The Cyclones and BYU will face off again at 7 p.m. Friday on ESPN+.
Retaliation establishes a scoring frenzy
The Cyclones struck first in the first inning with a solo blast, and the Cougars answered with two runs of their own, followed by a three-run second inning to push the Cyclones’ lead to 4-2.
BYU answered with a solo home run in the third inning, and Iowa State would then rally with a five-run fourth inning, pushing their lead to 9-3.
The Cougars answered, scoring four runs of their own in the bottom of the inning, and the Cyclones retaliated with four more runs of their own to cancel out the BYU attack.
Again, the Cougars scored three more runs, diminishing the Cyclones’ lead to 13-10. The Cyclones pitching staff then shut down the Cougars’ offense, adding one more run in the seventh inning to put the game away.
“Altitude is a big thing,” head coach Jamie Pinkerton said. “The ball just flies out there, so we’ve got to keep it down and limit the long ball.”
Cyclones unleash record-breaking power surge
Iowa State’s offense put on a show against BYU, reaching base 22 times, including 14 hits, seven walks and one hit-by-pitch.
The Cyclones collected four home runs, increasing their team total to 66, now the program record, breaking the previous record of 64 homers back in 2021.
Iowa State’s first five batters combined for 13 hits, with sophomores left fielder Jessie Clemons and catcher Karlee Ford, along with senior shortstop Reagan Bartholomew, collecting three hits each. Senior centerfielder Tatum Johnson and sophomore second baseman Kadence Shepherd recorded two hits each.
Ford led with four RBIs, including two solo homers and a two-run double in the fourth inning, while reaching base five times, with two walks.
Bartholomew added three RBIs with a solo home run in the first inning and a two-run double in the fifth inning, while Shepherd added two RBIs on her 12th homer of the year and the record-breaking 65th homer for the squad in the fifth inning.
The Cyclones stole four bags, with Clemons leading with two, Shepherd and senior third baseman McKenna Andrews each collecting one.
Schurman weathers storm as Cyclones hold on
Junior right-handed pitcher Lauren Schurman increased her win count to 15 after throwing six innings, allowing three earned runs on eight hits, three walks, while striking out two. Schurman faced 29 batters, allowing a three-run homer while throwing 103 pitches for a 65% strike percentage.
Two other pitchers faced 11 batters but only got three outs, while allowing five earned runs on six hits, including two home runs and two walks.
Two errors by the Iowa State defense resulted in two unearned runs, keeping the game closer than they wanted it to be.
Iowa State’s error count now reaches 35, but it ranks fourth best in the Big 12 and their fielding percentage dropped to .971, which is good for second in conference play.
