Iowa State ended its 10-game losing streak this week, sweeping a doubleheader against South Dakota on Tuesday.

With the rivalry game against Iowa being rescheduled to next week because of inclement weather, the Cyclones will head on the road to face another Big 12 opponent. 

Iowa State sits in last place in the conference with a 17-24 record and 0-6 against Big 12 teams. The Cyclones also head into Lubbock, Texas, to face off with the Red Raiders of Texas Tech in a three-game series this weekend. 

The Red Raiders have fared better against Big 12 teams, with a 4-5 record, putting them fourth in the conference, but are only two games better than the Cyclones overall, at 19-25.

Luckily for Iowa State, the bats came alive this week, scoring 18 runs in just two games against South Dakota. The offensive catalyst has been senior shortstop Brittany Gomez, who was 6-for-9 at the plate and drove in six runs herself. 

Gomez believed the offense finally “clicked” as the Cyclones finally started executing the game plan. 

“It felt good overall,” Gomez said. “All of us together, hitting through inside pitches and outside pitches hitting into the [opposite field].”

The Cyclones approach at the plate will be key this weekend, as the Red Raiders have the worst team ERA in the Big 12, coming in at 5.25 on the season. 

If Iowa State can keep responding to adversity like it did earlier this week, it can come away with its first Big 12 conference wins of the season. 

Another bright spot was freshman Emma Hylen, who threw all seven innings in the second half of the doubleheader Tuesday.

“I thought Emma threw great in that second game,” said coach Stacy Gemeinhardt-Cesler. “She made pitches all game and worked herself out of some jams.” 

As promising as the two wins against South Dakota were, Iowa State still has to prove it can win games late, but with the offense finally being able support the pitching staff, things will get easier moving forward. 

“That is so key,” Hylen said. “When they are making plays like that, you can trust them to get you the support you need to go out there and execute on your end.” 

The Cyclones will attempt to turn the corner in their season after spending the last two weeks struggling to pull out wins. Now, with the offense finding its rhythm, the team just has to remember what got it those two wins. 

“We just have to keep being aggressive,” said sophomore Kelsey McFarland. “Go after the first good pitch and rip it.”