AMES, Iowa – Playing in its first Big 12 rubber match of the season, Iowa State (24-17, 5-10 Big 12) was unable to topple No. 19 Oklahoma State (27-11, 9-6 Big 12), falling to the Cowgirls by a score of 9-2.
OSU jumped out to an early 5-0 lead through three frames, pushing its lead to eight in the fourth. The Pokes threatened to earn a run-rule win, but an ISU two-run blast in the fifth extended things. The Cowgirls would then go on to win by seven, 9-2.
Iowa State’s top of the order, Jessie Clemons and Tatum Johnson, accounted for five of the team’s seven hits on the day. Clemons had three knocks, two being doubles, while Johnson had a homer and accounted for both RBI.
In the circle, Jaiden Ralston picked up the loss, while both Lauren Schurman and Ava Mullen also made appearances. Schurman had three strikeouts to lead all Cyclone pitchers.
For Oklahoma State, five players finished with multiples hits. Aubrey Jones had a team-best three knocks, while Amanda Hasler had a game-best three RBI. The Pokes outhit the Cyclones 14-7. Ruby Meylan was again dominant in the circle for Oklahoma State, as the senior handled all 21 outs, surrendering just two runs and striking out five.
How it Happened
The Cowgirls opened the first frame putting two runners on early, but saw both stranded as ISU worked around the traffic.
OSU broke through, though, in the second frame, taking advantage of its baserunners. A two-RBI single from Jayelle Austin with a pair in scoring position did the job, as the Cowgirls took an early 2-0 lead.
A pair of homers between the third and fourth innings, mixed with an RBI single, helped balloon the Cowgirl lead to eight, as OSU took an 8-0 edge into the fifth frame.
Down to its last three outs, ISU saw both the leadoff and on-deck batter go down in order, bringing up Clemons. She promptly doubled down the left line to give ISU a runner in scoring position. Next up, Johnson towered her tenth homer of the year to extend the game and push things out of run-rule territory.
ISU was unable to execute on its newfound at-bats, while the Pokes tacked on another run, eventually falling to the Top-20 team, 9-2.
Sunday Notes
Home Runs
Iowa State: Tatum Johnson (10)
Oklahoma State: Amanda Hasler (10), Aubrey Jones (3)
WP – Ruby Meylan (17-6): 7.0 IP, 7 hits, 2 runs, 1 walk, 5 strikeouts
SV – N/A
LP – Jaiden Ralston (1-5): 0.0 IP, 0 hits, 2 runs, 1 walk, 0 strikeouts
On Deck
Iowa State returns to play on Tuesday, April 14, when they host South Dakota in a midweek contest at the CSC. Tuesday’s game is set to start at 4 pm and the game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
