The Iowa State softball team extended its winning streak to five games Friday afternoon. The Cyclones have relied on solid pitching during the streak. That trend continued Friday.

The Cyclones used the effective pitching to mount a 1-0 victory over Kansas. Iowa State improved its record to 21-32 (4-12 Big 12), while the Jayhawks dropped to 24-26 (3-12 Big 12).

Emma Hylen led the charge with seven shutout innings. The sophomore collected seven strikeouts in the game, the most in her Big 12 career.

Hylen only gave up two hits in her dominant performance. She didn’t allow a single hit until the top of the fifth inning.

Coach Jamie Trachsel said the key for Hylen is confidence.

“[Hylen’s confidence] is amazing,” Trachsel said. “She has answered the call, she’s growing a ton even for a young pitcher. I’m just proud of her for really stepping up and accepting the challenge.”

Hylen had the luxury of a sound defense behind her. Iowa State had zero errors, compared to Kansas’ three.

The offense got a boost from Sami Williams, but Iowa State couldn’t capitalize off Williams’ two hits or the Jayhawk errors, going scoreless through six innings.

“This pitcher had pretty good movement,” Williams said. “She was throwing a lot of drop balls so we hit a lot of ground balls. We just weren’t able to hit more to the outfield like we usually do.”

When the bottom of the seventh inning rolled around, the Cyclones’ bats came alive. Kaylee Bosworth started the rally with a line-drive single up the middle.

Kirsten Caudle advanced Bosworth with a sacrifice bunt, moving Bosworth to second. Following the bunt, Bosworth made it to third via a wild pitch.

Talyn Lewis worked a seven pitch walk, putting runners on the corners. Trachsel then decided to call a safety squeeze. The safety squeeze was executed, as Logan Schaben reached first and loaded the bases.

The No. 9 hitter, Nychole Antillon, walked up to the plate. Antillon drove the ball on the ground to second base. The ball was fielded cleanly and thrown home, but Bosworth was able to slide past the catch to give Iowa State the win.

The Cyclones have now won four in a row and five of their last six after a rough patch in the middle of the season.

“I think kinda throughout the whole season things have been slowly coming together,” Hylen said. “Right now it’s just starting to show up in the stats and our wins.”

Iowa State finishes the regular season with home games on Saturday and Sunday against Kansas. Iowa State needs to win one more against the Jayhawks to earn a bid to the Big 12 Tournament.