Cyclones secure series win over Houston

At the Cyclone Softball Complex on Saturday, Iowa State’s softball team staged an impressive rally, overcoming an early 4-0 deficit in the first inning to secure a 9-7 victory against Houston in the second game of their series. This win brings the Cyclones’ season record to 18-10 overall and 2-3 within the Big 12 Conference. Meanwhile, the Cougars now stand at 17-16 for the season and 1-7 in conference matchups.

Head coach Jamie Pinkerton commented on the team’s resilience, stating, “We simply persevered.” He added, “Considering Houston’s strong offense, we were confident in our ability to score runs and that we matched up favorably against their bullpen. We understood that sustained effort would allow us to regain control of the game.”

Iowa State started Ava Mullen on the mound. Houston’s Maddie Hartley began the game with a single, followed by three consecutive walks that loaded the bases for the Cougars. Houston then added three more runs in the opening frame: Kylei Griffin’s groundout allowed Makenna Mitchell to score, Isabel Cintron’s bunt brought Ariel Redmond home, and Mandy Esman’s double drove in Madox Mitchael.

Liv Palumbo took over for Mullen on the mound, pitching 2.1 innings in relief.

The top of the first inning concluded with Houston’s Cintron being caught stealing home, followed by Shelby Taylor grounding out to Reagan Bartholomew.

In the bottom of the first, Jessie Clemons grounded out to start Iowa State’s offense. Tatum Johnson then drew a walk and moved to second on a single to left field by Bartholomew. Karlee Ford’s pop-up to the shortstop made the second out, but Malott stepped up next and launched a three-run home run to center, cutting the Cougars’ lead to just one run.

Kasey Kane then drew a walk, but Kadence Shepherd struck out looking, bringing the bottom of the first inning to a close.

The second inning began with Hartley grounding out. Houston then strung together back-to-back singles from Mitchell and Redmond. Mitchael followed with a double, driving in Mitchell and extending the visitors’ lead to 5-3, before Griffin struck out swinging.

Despite a promising start to the bottom of the second inning with two singles and one out, a pitching change saw Paris Lehman replace Nicole Bodeux, ultimately stranding two Cyclones runners.

Houston added two more runs in the top of the third inning: Hartley’s single brought Esman home, and Mitchell scored Gabby Rawls after reaching base via a fielder’s choice.

Lauren Schurman entered the game in relief of Palumbo to record the final out of the third inning. Schurman (9-2) ultimately earned the win for Iowa State, having pitched 3.1 innings.

Both the bottom of the third and the top of the fourth innings saw quick three-up, three-down performances from the respective defenses.

During the second at-bat of the bottom of the fourth inning, Tiana Poole reached base due to a shortstop error. Johnson then drove in Poole, narrowing the Cyclones’ deficit to three runs.

The Cougars quickly recorded two outs in the top of the fifth, with Rawls grounding out and Taylor’s bunt going directly to Schurman, who threw to Malott for the second out. Despite Houston getting two runners on base via a throwing error and a single, Redmond grounded out to Schurman, concluding the inning.

Iowa State exploded in the bottom of the fifth inning. Bartholomew and Ford each singled, and Malott drew a walk to load the bases. Ashley Minor pinch-hit for Shepherd; though she grounded out, Bartholomew managed to score.

Hayleigh Oliver, the 2023 Gatorade Player of the Year for Idaho, also delivered a crucial pinch-hit performance, driving a single up the middle to score both Ford and Malott. Oliver advanced to second base on the subsequent throw.

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