The Iowa State softball team had trouble obtaining a win over the weekend at their home opener.

The Cyclones (15-19, 0-3 Big 12) fell to Texas Tech (16-14, 3-0 Big 12) in all three games over the weekend. This was not only the team’s first home game of the 2017 season, but also the first Big 12 game.

The first game began with a rough start for the Cyclones. Texas Tech earned 13 runs in the first inning to start the game off, and the Cyclones could not compete with the early lead.

They attempted to fight back, as they switched new pitchers in twice during the inning.

The Lady Raiders continued their streak, as they earned two more runs in the top of the second inning, increasing their lead 15-0. The Cyclones finally got on the board during the bottom of the second inning, when Kaylee Bosworth hit a single RBI, bringing Talyn Lewis through home base.

The Cyclones fought throughout the rest of the game, but ultimately could not get over the lead that Texas Tech took. They lost 18-4.

“We came in here saying “Win the day’ and that was our mentality,” head coach Jamie Trachsel said. “We had opportunities to, but it came down to one inning.”

The next game was originally set for Saturday, but a rain delay pushed it to Sunday, turning the day into a double header.

Sunday’s two games both resulted in losses for the Cyclones. During the first game, it looked as though the Cyclones would be scoreless in the end. However, in the final inning, they earned two runs taking the final score to 6-2.

“I think it’s good to see us bounce back, especially from that first game,” pitcher Savannah Sanders said. “I think a lot of the nerves were gone after the first day.”

The final game of the weekend started out on a different note for the Cyclones. Freshman Sami Williams hit a homerun in the first inning, getting on the board before Texas Tech.

Sanders then allowed zero runs for the next three innings. It was not until the fifth inning when the Lady Raiders tied the score 1-1. However, the Cyclones earned one more run in the same inning, taking the lead.

The last inning changed the outcome. Texas Tech managed to earn two more runs in the seventh inning, and the Cyclones were unable to earn any additional runs after that. They fell 4-2.

“I thought we played better each game,” Trachsel said. “It was a lot of variables and a lot of areas that have to be consistent. We’re still working on putting that together.”

Team members agreed with Trachsel, saying that they improved each game.

“I think we took the things we learned from the first game and brought them to the second game, and I felt like going into the third game, we took what we learned in the second game,” pitcher Brianna Weilbacher said. “I feel like we did fix and make those changes.”

Although it was a challenging weekend for the Cyclones, the players and coaches are maintaining a positive attitude.

“I think that coming off of the first inning on Friday we definitely kept challenging and improved a lot, and I was proud of the team for continuing to battle after that,” Williams said.