The Iowa State softball team had two wins and three loses this week. They saw an extra innings game and got shutout in another. The Cyclones are now at .500 with a 10-10 record.

Iowa state saw strong pitching from Brianna Weilbacher and powerful hits from veteran players.

Walk

Head coach Jamie Pinkerton had his first ejection of the season and his first ejection as new head coach. The ejection came in the 4-1 loss against Middle Tennessee. 

Pinkerton was ejected in the top of the sixth inning after he disputed a call. Sophomore infielder Logan Schaben was hit by a pitch but was not awarded first base.

Pinkerton was frustrated when the umpire failed to give a reason behind not awarding Schaben first base. 

Single

Freshman right-handed pitcher Julie Lewis got to pitch an inning the weekend. Lewis pitched one inning in the loss against Middle Tennessee. She entered in the seventh inning in relief of junior right-handed pitcher Emma Hylen. 

The freshman gave up one walk, no hits, and had one strikeout in the inning.

This appearance was just the fourth of Julie Lewis’s career at Iowa State. She has a total of eight innings pitched and a 2.63 earned run average.

Double

This weekend the Cyclones saw some powerful hits.

Junior Taylor Nearad hit her second triple of the season in the Cyclones loss to the Hokies. Her triple scored Kirsten Caudle to give the Cyclone the early 1-0 lead in the first inning.

Senior Nychole Antillon hit the first triple of her career in the same inning. Nychole’s triple extended the Cyclones lead to 4-0.

Triples are one of the hardest hits to achieve but the Cyclones saw two of them in the same inning. Although Iowa State saw some powerful hitting in the game they lost to Virginia Tech, 6-4.

Triple

Senior right-handed pitcher Brianna Weilbacher had an amazing weekend. She recorded 10 strikeouts in both of the games she started.

Weilbacher has a 1.83 earned run average for this season (5-2).

Weilbacher is setting a good example for fellow pitchers and giving the Cyclones hope for what’s to come this season. This weekend she proved she has what it takes to be the best.

Weilbacher’s performance this weekend earned her the Big 12 Pitcher of the Week honor. She pitched 15 innings with 0.00 ERA and 22 strikeouts.

Home run

The Cyclones’ inability to score in the later innings hurt their chances of winning. In each of the Cyclones’ losses, they failed to score past the second inning.

In Iowa State’s first loss of the weekend against Middle Tennessee they scored one run in the second inning. The Cyclones failed to score again later in the game after Middle Tennessee put up four runs in the third, fourth, and fifth innings. Iowa State lost 4-1.

Iowa State’s second loss came from North Florida. The Cyclones failed to score against the Ospreys and lost 4-1. Iowa State did have opportunities to score. They left seven batters on base in the loss to North Florida.

The Cyclones last loss came on Sunday from Virginia Tech. The game was looking in the Cyclones favor after they scored four runs in the first inning giving them the 4-0 lead.

Their inability to answer after the Hokies scored four runs in the third inning and two runs in the sixth inning making the score 6-4 Virginia Tech. The Cyclones failed to do anymore damage after the first inning and lost to the Hokies 6-4.

Each loss this weekend was handed to them in late innings and they were unable to answer.