The Cyclones began the final day of the Wilson Invitational Sunday in Long Beach, California with a 3-2 win over Southern Utah before wrapping up the tournament with a 4-1 loss to California.
At 3-1 on the weekend, the Wilson Invitational served as a strong rebound effort following a tough showing in the Felsberg Invitational last weekend. The performance moves Iowa State to 4-5 on the season.
Southern Utah recap
Southern Utah played host to the Cyclones’ first matchup of the day on a sunny Sunday morning. Freshman Sami Potvin started in the circle for the Cyclones.
The Thunderbirds took a quick 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning with an RBI double from Ariyana Miranda. They came out hot in the top of the second inning, loading the bases, but the Cyclones would ultimately avoid disaster and close out the top of the inning without a score.
Iowa State tied it up with a rally in the bottom of the third inning. Freshman Sereniti Trice kicked it off with a bunt single and scored on an RBI single from freshman Jessie Clemons. Both freshmen had standout games in the batter’s box with two hits apiece.
In the top of the fourth inning, sophomore Lauren Schurman entered the game and would record the win. In the four innings Schurman pitched, she gave up no earned runs.
The Thunderbirds scored on an unearned run in the top of the fourth, and the score would hold at 2-1 until the bottom of the fifth.
The Cyclones made a run in the fifth inning, capitalizing on three hits and two errors to score a pair of runs. The first came on a throwing error, bringing Trice home from third and the second came off of a single from junior Sydney Malott, bringing in senior Angelina Allen.
With the lead, the Cyclone defense took over, allowing only three hits in the final two innings. The score remained 3-2 for Iowa State’s third win of the weekend.
California recap
After a quick turnaround, the Cyclones took to the field to face California. Junior Jaiden Ralston got the start for Iowa State.
California sustained pressure in the early innings, bringing in a run in the first, two in the second and one in the third. Schurman took over in the circle for the Cyclones in the fourth inning, and once again gave up zero earned runs in the rest of the game.
Meanwhile, the bats just could not get going for the Cyclones. Allen picked up the only hit for Iowa State in the first four innings with a double to center field. It was a defensive battle throughout, with California recording five hits to Iowa State’s three.
The highlight of the game for Iowa State came in the sixth inning, when Clemons hit a bomb to left field. The solo home run was the only score of the game for the Cyclones.
The final was 4-1 in favor of the Golden Bears in the final game of the tournament for Iowa State.
The Cyclones will take to the field next weekend in the Sun Devil Classic in Arizona. It starts Friday with matchups against New Mexico State at 2:15 p.m. and Grand Canyon at 7:30 p.m.
