The ISU softball team’s early pitching struggles put them in a hole too deep to climb out of against Omaha. The Cyclones were forced to use four pitchers during the course of the game and couldn’t get the offense going until it was too late.

The Mavericks struck first in the second inning. After two quick hits, Allie Mathewson launched a three-run home run to give Omaha a 3-0 lead.

That wouldn’t be their only long ball of the afternoon. Tonya Peterson would add a solo home run to extend the lead to 4-0. After a single by the ensuing batter, the Cyclones decided a pitching change was necessary and brought in Brianna Weilbacher for relief.

Weilbacher struggled in her opening inning, allowing one hit and two walks, including walking the bases loaded for another Maverick run that made the score 5-0.

Weilbacher continued to struggle on the mound in the fourth, loading the bases after a couple of walks. The Cylcones opted for another pitching change, bringing in Katie Johnson in relief.

Johnson had issues right out of the gate, giving up an RBI double to her first batter, which extended the Mavericks’ lead to 7-0.

The Cyclones were finally able to score in the bottom of the fourth, when Aly Cappaert was hit by a pitch to start the inning. She would be forced to leave the game due to injury and Hailey Womack came in to pinch run. Womack scored two batters later on a Jordan Spendlove single.

The Mavericks opened the sixth quickly, tacking on two more runs to extend the lead to 9-1. Iowa State made one final pitching change, bringing in Paris Imholz to finish the game. The Cyclones managed to tack on three more runs in the final innings, as Imholz halted the Mavericks’ attack, but the game ended 9-4.

The Cyclones will play again this weekend in their final away series of the season against Baylor on April 24 to 26. The first game begins at 6:30 p.m. April 24.