Cyclones prepare for home game against Omaha in midst of road trip

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Ashley Ruden/Iowa State Daily

Junior Brittany Gomez rounds third heading for home, to score for Iowa State.

Ryan Leon

The Cyclones are getting ready for their second game in two days as they prepare for the Omaha Mavericks. The quick turnaround follows a 7-2 win against Drake on April 21, where the Cyclones were able to jump out to an early lead and coast to the finish.

Iowa State broke an offensive record in its game against Drake as junior Brittany Gomez scored her 121st run. The record was previously held by Jenny Condon (1986-1989), who was the only ISU All-American in program history.

The Cyclones corrected their recent skid with their trip to Drake, and can string together some momentum with their first home game since April 11. The home visit will be only a quick pit stop before another road trip to Baylor.

The Mavericks enter the contest with a 20-23 record and are fourth in the Summit League. They are a well-traveled team, playing well against competitive big-ticket teams like Kansas, Virginia and Notre Dame.

Omaha is led by an excellent pitching tandem of senior Kat Barrow and freshman Jaylee Hinrichs. Barrow has posted a 2.89 ERA this season to go along with a 7-8 record, while Hinrichs has been a pitching revelation for the Mavericks. The true freshman is 11-10 with a 3.55 ERA and 93 strikeouts.

The Cyclones are aware that they will have to be at their best offensively in order to take on such and impressive stable of pitching talent.

“We’re just trying to give the team enough reps so that we know that we’ll be ready to play anyone come game day,” ISU coach Stacy Gemeinhardt-Cesler said.

The Cyclones will try to take a hot offense into their game against Omaha after crushing two home runs in the previous game against Drake. Their seemingly rudimentary approach to the plate has started to yield results.

“We’re just trying to get as many hits as we can, because that’s what it always comes down too,” senior Lexi Slater said.

The idea is for the team just to make good contact, and get hits. Not everything needs to go over the fence, and they know that hits can add up and put a team in good places in a hurry.

The Cyclones will take the field at 4 p.m. at the Cyclones Sports Complex on April 22 to square off with the Mavericks. The game sets up as an opportunity to gain and carry some momentum into the final grind of conference play.