On April 8, Iowa State traveled to Iowa City for the first Cy-Hawk game of the season, coming out on top 9-7 and collecting 11 hits in a back-and-forth matchup.
Game two was much different from the first. Iowa State racked up seven hits but scored just two runs, losing its home Cy-Hawk game 7-2.
For the Hawkeyes, senior left-handed pitcher Serayah Neiss got the start in the circle. Even after giving up the game-winning homer from senior infielder Reagan Bartholomew earlier in April.
The Cyclones left nine runners on base, including two innings with the bases loaded, bringing in one run.
“We had opportunities to claw back into the game, but we didn’t make the adjustments,” head coach Jamie Pinkerton said.
Iowa State’s offensive struggles started in the first inning, after senior centerfielder Tatum Johnson got on with a one-out double but was left on base following back-to-back flyouts.
“They had a good game plan, and we just didn’t make them adjust to us,” Pinkerton said.
After a three-run blast from freshman infielder Phoenyx Silva put Iowa up early, Iowa State came to bat in the bottom of the second inning.
Senior first baseman Sydney Malott drew a one-out walk but was not able to be driven in after two flyouts to end the inning.
Another solo blast from sophomore second baseman Kiara Sipe pushed the Hawkeyes’ lead to 4-0. In the third inning, the Cyclones had their first big opportunity to respond.
After a leadoff flyout to left field, sophomore pinch hitter Jessie Clemons singled, and Johnson was hit by a pitch. A two-out walk loaded the bases for sophomore catcher Karlee Ford.
That response did not come as Ford grounded out to shortstop to end the threat.
In the fifth inning, another three-run blast from Iowa extended the lead to 7-0. Iowa State threatened again.
A leadoff hit-by-pitch from senior third baseman McKenna Andrews, followed by singles from Clemons and Johnson, loaded the bases with no outs.
Bartholomew stepped to the plate looking to replicate her earlier heroics, but grounded into a double play, bringing in only one run. A flyout ended another missed opportunity.
Then, in the next two innings, Iowa State would leave a runner on base in the sixth after a sophomore designated player, Victoria Prado RBI single, while leaving two runners on in the seventh inning.
“I’m just trying to stay within myself and do my job when I get up there,” Prado said.
“It’s disappointing, especially with the chances we had,” Johnson said. “We just couldn’t come through when we needed to.”
The Iowa State overall offense reached base 12 times but managed just two runs in an awkward second game to split the Cy-Hawk series 1-1.
“I can’t be mad at our offense overall; they’ve been good all year,” Pinkerton said. “It was just a bad night to have a bad night.”
With this loss, the Cyclones dropped to 27-19 on the season, while the Hawkeyes improved to 24-22.
