Attack of the ‘Clones, defeat UNI in five innings
Iowa State (21-13) snapped a three-game losing streak on Tuesday by defeating in-state rival UNI 10-2 in a five-inning run-rule victory. Although the Panthers took an early 2-0 lead in the first inning following an RBI groundout by Kate Lappe and a single from Sykora Smith, the Cyclones quickly responded. In the bottom of the first, Sydney Malott drove in a run with a single to left field, cutting the UNI lead in half.
The Cyclone offense exploded in the second inning to take control of the game. With two outs, Jessie Clemons tied the game with an RBI single, which was immediately followed by a two-run single from Tatum Johnson to give ISU the lead. Kadence Shepherd then capped the five-run inning with a two-run home run, marking her eighth of the season and her fourth home run in the last four games.
Iowa State secured the victory in the fourth inning by tacking on four additional runs. Reagan Bartholomew brought in two runs on a play where Tatum Johnson was ruled safe due to obstruction, and Malott followed with her second RBI single of the day to extend the lead to 9-2. The final run came via a safety squeeze by Karlee Ford, creating the eight-run cushion necessary for the run-rule win.
In the circle, Liv Palumbo earned her sixth win of the year, allowing only two runs over four innings of work. Lauren Schurman closed out the final frame, striking out two batters and preventing any further hits. While Skylar Benesh led the Panthers with two hits, UNI pitcher Anna Wischnowski took the loss after giving up six runs in two innings.