AMES — Iowa State took home the win in both games against South Dakota State at the Cyclone Sports Complex on Monday.
Game one: Clemons’ four RBI day leads Cyclones to game one victory
After South Dakota State jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the second inning, the Cyclones responded with clutch at-bats and a breakout performance from freshman Jessie Clemons to secure a 5-3 victory in game one of Monday’s doubleheader.
Following a walk from freshman Karlee Ford, back-to-back singles from sophomore Isabelle Nosan and junior McKenna Andrews loaded the bases. Junior Ashley Minor delivered a sacrifice fly to cut the deficit to one, setting the stage for Clemons.
On the first pitch of the at-bat, Clemons drilled a deep two-RBI triple to right center to give Iowa State a 3-2 lead.
Clemons came through again in the sixth. After a walk and a flyout, she stepped in with two outs and worked a 2-2 count before sending a ball over the center field wall for her second extra-base hit and two more RBIs.
“The first game went very well. I was very happy with my hitting,” Clemons said. “I saw the ball well, got good pitches… just keeping my focus one pitch at a time.”
“She sets the tone at the top of the order,” Iowa State head coach Jamie Pinkerton said. “That game one was huge for us and she’s been doing it all season.”
The Cyclones totaled 10 hits, five walks and left eight runners on base. Freshmen Clemons and Sereniti Trice both recorded multi-hit efforts.
The win improved Iowa State’s overall record to 24-19.
Game two: Cyclones walk it off in the second game
After taking a 7-6 walk-off win in game two, Iowa State completed the sweep over South Dakota State thanks to timely hitting and a seventh-inning rally.
Up by three runs entering the sixth, the Cyclones surrendered a game-tying three-run inning. After a clean top of the seventh from sophomore Lauren Schurman, Iowa State went to work.
Junior Sydney Malott drew a walk to begin the inning. Sophomore Ireland Buss pinch ran and advanced on a wild pitch. Senior Angelina Allen, already with a triple earlier in the game, singled to put runners on the corners.
Junior Reagan Bartholomew was then intentionally walked. With the bases loaded, Ford lifted a fly ball to center to bring in the game-winning run.
“We worked a walk, then we got a base hit, then another base hit,” Pinkerton said. “With nobody out and knowing Reggie and Ford are flyball hitters, I knew we had a chance. We did what we had to do to win.”
Allen finished 2-for-3 with a triple and a walk, which helped spark the offense.
“It’s been an up-and-down year,” Allen said. “I’m just trying to focus on being present and having fun. This team makes it easy to lead by example.”
The Cyclones totaled seven hits and eight walks in the win while striking out only twice.
“We could be a lot better,” Allen said. “[Monday] was hard for us. But we fought through it. We can’t take an off day if we want to be where we want to be.”
With the sweep, Iowa State moved to 25-19 on the season and will head to Cedar Falls to face Northern Iowa at 5 p.m. Tuesday.
