While Ames experienced snowfall and gusting winds, the Iowa State softball team traveled to Norman, Oklahoma, to face the reining national champions, the Oklahoma Sooners.

The Cyclones came out to a strong start, getting strikeouts and catching players on runs, but were unable to generate any runs early on in the first game.

The Sooners then came out of the scoreless two innings and exploded with offense.

In the bottom of the third inning, the Sooners got on base and Jocelyn Alo homered to left field for a three-RBI home run, scoring in Caleigh Clifton and Aviu Falepolima.

They followed with a Nicole Pendley home run to bring the score to 4-0 in favor of the defending national champions.

Fellow Sooner Nicole Mendes would triple to right center, scoring in Kylie Lundberg. She would later run in for a score herself after a wild pitch by the Cyclones’ Emma Hylen.

Falepolima would then groundout to shortstop Sami Williams, advancing Kelsey Arnold, and scoring in Lea Wodach, bringing the score to 7-0.

The Cyclones would then respond for their only score of the first game, when Nychole Antillon homered to left field.

Antillon has had a hit in every game since the first game of the Oklahoma State series.

Oklahoma would go up for another score in the bottom of the fifth when Raegan Rogers grounded out to Williams, advancing Mendes, and scoring in teammate Eliyah Flores. That brought the score to 8-1.

Hylen went six innings, giving up eight hits, and four earned runs on the eight runs total. She allowed two home runs and a triple during the game.

Game Two

In this competition, the Cyclones would get ahead first.

Antillon showed up again, getting a hit that allowed Williams to score.

The Sooners would respond with an Arnold single to right field, allowing Mendes and Clifton to score in.

Sydney Romero reached on an error by Sydney Stites, allowing Arnold to score on the play.

In the bottom of the third, Mendes would show up again, hitting a single to score in Flores. That gave the Sooners a 4-1 lead going into the top of the fourth.

The bottom of fourth saw Nicole Pendley single to center field, allowing Alo and Romero to score in for a 6-1 lead.

Pendley sprinted for another score on a Clifton hit, reaching after an error on Sally Woolpert. This would bring them to a 7-1 lead.

The Cyclones refused to give up after this deficit and would get the bases loaded in the top of the fifth.

Kaila Konz would get her first hit of the game, hitting a single through the right side, scoring in Bosworth. 

Williams doubled with the bases loaded still, scoring in Konz, Ramos and Schaben. That brought the score to 7-5, still favoring the Sooners. Williams would try to reach home and got tagged out.

Brianna Weilbacher got pulled in the bottom of the fifth for Savannah Sanders.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Cyclones loaded the bases, but the Sooners’ pitcher Paige Parker came in clutch for the defending national champions, striking out Stites to avoid the game to shift into the Cyclones’ favor.

Wodach would have her opportunity at bat, doubling to right center for an RBI, scoring in Flores. Wodach would allow the Sooners to get back on top, scoring in after an Arnold double to right center.

That was the last of Sanders in the game, as Hylen came in.

Weilbacher pitched 4.1 innings, allowing nine hits and added a strikeout.

Sanders would play 1.1 innings, allowing two runs on two hits. She did manage to sneak in two strikeouts.

Oklahoma now extends their consecutive wins to 24 games, while the Cyclones losing streak is now at five.

The Cyclones will play the remaining of the series tomorrow at noon.