The Iowa State women’s softball team’s regular-season finale did not go as planned as the Cyclones fell to Kansas 3-1 on Sunday afternoon. 

The final day loss means that the Cyclones end the regular season with a 23-30 record in head coach Jamie Pinkerton’s first season. 

The Jayhawks jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the bottom of the first off of senior pitcher Brianna Weilbacher. Weilbacher recovered well, and didn’t allow any runs in the next four innings before junior Savannah Sanders came in for relief duty. 

Through four innings, the Cyclones were stifled by Jayhawks pitcher Sarah Miller and only had two hits on the day. The Cyclones’ breakthrough came in the top of the fifth, when freshman outfielder Skyler Ramos singled in junior centerfielder Taylor Nearad to trim the deficit to 3-1. 

The Cyclones couldn’t catch up, though, and in the bottom of the sixth, Kansas added an insurance run to push the Jayhawks’ lead to 4-1 heading into the final frame. 

Iowa State needed magic offensively to make up the three-run gap, but Miller was still throwing pitches that the Cyclones couldn’t beat. Miller threw over 100 pitches for the Jayhawks, and with two outs in the top of the seventh, she faced a full count against Iowa State’s sophomore infielder Sami Williams. 

Williams grounded out, and the Cyclones fell 4-1. 

Iowa State will be the No. 6 seed in the Big 12 Championships, and will be placed in Pool A. Iowa State will open pool play against the No. 4 seed (Texas or No. 18 Baylor, depending on Sunday’s results) at 11 a.m. on Friday, May 11.