PROVO —  Iowa State lost game two of its three-game series against BYU 6-5 on Friday night at Gail Miller Field in Provo, Utah. The Cyclones fell to 26-18 this season.

BYU senior first baseman Maddie Udall-Woolley led off the top of the seventh inning and hit a walk-off solo home run to center field to give the Cougars the upset victory.

The Cyclones will conclude their three-game series against the Cougars on Saturday. The first pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.

Iowa State takes advantage of early BYU pitching woes

BYU’s junior left-handed pitcher Gianna Mares walked five Iowa State batters in the first two innings before sophomore left-handed pitcher  Jada Villegas took her place at the pitcher’s circle. Four of those walks came in the second inning.

Of those four second-inning walks, two of them brought runs in for Iowa State. Sophomore left fielder Jessie Clemons, junior designated player Isabelle Nosan and seniors first baseman Sydney Malott and shortstop Reagan Bartholomew were the four walked batters in the second. Malott and Nosan scored when Clemons and Bartholomew were walked.

Villegas didn’t last much longer than Mares on the mound. After giving up just one single in the third inning, she gave up a solo home run to senior third baseman McKenna Andrews on the first pitch of the fourth inning to make it 3-1.

After Clemons singled to get on base to follow up Andrews, senior centerfielder Tatum Johnson hit a single of her own, too. Clemons scored from second on a fielding error to make it 4-1, and that’s when Mares came back to take Villegas’ place at the circle.

Mares gave up three walks, three runs and two hits. The version of Mares seen in the last three and a half innings pitched, however, was not the same version of Mares that the Cyclones saw in the first two innings. Mares only gave up one hit and one run in her second turn at the circle.

Cougars catch fire in the last two innings

Despite giving up a run in the top of the sixth inning, BYU came out swinging in the bottom of the sixth. Four hits led to three runs to tie it at 5-5.

BYU sophomore catcher Bre Townsend and senior centerfielder Lexie Bennett had the first two hits in the sixth. Bennett’s hit came with a full count and two outs.

Sophomore second baseman Danica Acosta and senior left fielder Lily Owens followed up with RBI hits to tie the game and put the pressure on the Cyclones. Of the Cyclones’ batters at the top of the seventh, sophomore catcher Karlee Ford was the only one who got on base.

With a tie game in the bottom of the seventh inning, Udall-Woolley took full advantage of the moment. With her walk-off home run, she handed the Cyclones their 18th loss and improved the Cougars to 16-27.