March 28, 2024

Hawkeyes defeat Cyclones in Iowa City

IOWA CITY (ISU) — The Iowa State softball team (21-30, 4-11 Big 12) traveled to Iowa (27-23, 5-15 Big Ten) for the annual Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series game, falling, 8-3.

Junior Sarah Hawryluk went 3-for-4 at the plate and collected her 26th stolen base while teammates Sara Davison and Aly Cappaert drove in runs for the Cyclones.

Both teams got off to a hot start at the plate, combining for nine runs in the first three innings, seven scored with two outs. In each of the first four innings, each team put at least two runners on base.

With two outs in the top of the first, Lexi Slater hit a fly ball to right, but the ball was dropped by the Hawkeye defender, putting runners at first and third for a Cappaert RBI-single for the first run of the game before Michelle Zoeller gave the Hawks a one-run lead with a one-out, two-run double to right center in the bottom of the first.

Getting crafty with runners at the corners in the top of the second, Iowa State pulled a successful double-steal for the 2-2 tie. On first base, Brittany Gomez took off for second, idling between first and second and drawing a throw from Iowa’s defense, allowing Maddie Reese to come home from third.

Iowa State hurler Taylor Smith got two quick outs in the bottom of the second before a walk to Ashley Akers and a single by Johnnie Dowling set up an RBI-single from Bradi Wall for the 3-2 Hawkeyes lead.

Davison evened things again briefly in the third with a double to drive in her 17th run of the season, but Iowa came back with one out in the bottom of the inning, getting a run on pitcher Kayla Massey’s double to left that glanced off the outstretched glove of Jorden Spendlove and added two more on RBI-singles from Brianna Luna and Akers.

Luna was back at the plate to lead off the Iowa fifth and hit a home run to dead center field, extending the Hawkeye lead, and Zoeller drove in her third run of the night, getting hit by a pitch from reliever Torrescano for the 8-3 Iowa lead.

Iowa State had a chance to close the gap on the Hawkeyes with two outs in the sixth, loading the bases with the help of two defensive errors. Erica Miller, who entered the night 7-for-9 with the bases loaded, grounded out to second for the final out, ending the threat.