AMES — After leaving 11 runners on base while scoring six runs in game one, Iowa State capitalized on its opportunities in game two, turning consistent traffic into production at the plate.
The Cyclones scored in every inning except the third, highlighted by a five-run first inning and an important three-run sixth, on their way to an 11-8 victory over St. Thomas.
Iowa State again put 17 runners on base, but this time converted with 14 hits and three walks, leaving just five runners stranded.
“We left a lot of runners in the first game,” head coach Jamie Pinkerton said. “Second game we didn’t leave much until later, and that was the difference.”
Sophomore utility outfielders Jessie Clemons and Hayleigh Oliver, sophomore second baseman Kadence Shepherd, senior shortstop Reagan Bartholomew and senior first baseman Sydney Malott all recorded multiple hits in the win.
Malott sparked the early surge with a three-run home run in the first inning, her first since April 5 against Arizona. Oliver followed with a solo home run, her third of the season and first since March 13 against South Dakota.
Despite the early outburst, the Cyclones were forced to respond multiple times. St. Thomas scored three runs in the second inning, then tied the game at 6-6 in the fourth and again at 7-7 in the fifth.
“It’s just the belief that everyone has,” Clemons said. “Whoever’s up there, we trust they can get the job done.”
After a scoreless third inning, Clemons helped keep the offense moving with an RBI single in the fourth to extend the Cyclones’ production.
In the fifth inning, Malott scored on a throwing error following a Shepherd single, continuing to apply pressure and keep runners moving.
“You can feel when we start stringing things together,” senior Jaiden Ralston said. “It just keeps building.”
Iowa State carried that momentum into the sixth inning, where the offense delivered its most important stretch of the game.
Bartholomew delivered the biggest swing of the game, launching a two-run home run to break the tie and give the Cyclones a 10-8 lead.
Shepherd added another run with her single, turning a back-and-forth battle into a game they could control.
St Thomas responded with a solo homer in the seventh, but Iowa State’s sixth-inning surge had already created enough separation.
The production reflects what has been a historic season for Iowa State.
“I think we’ve already broken the runs record, the home run record and we’re right there on average,” Pinkerton said. “This is probably one of the top one or two offenses I’ve had here.”
