Iowa State Swept by No. 7 Oklahoma

NORMAN, Okla. ? The Iowa State softball team dropped both games to No. 7 Oklahoma Friday night at Oklahoma's OU Softball Complex. It was the Big 12 opener for both teams. The Cyclones fell, 7-3, in the first game and lost, 2-0, on two home runs in the second inning. ISU had a combined eight hits, but couldn't counter Oklahoma's 20 hits and fell to 9-15 overall and 0-2 in league play.

In game one, Oklahoma found the scoreboard with a run in the bottom of the second inning when pinch runner jade Prather scored off a single by OU centerfielder Kristin Vesely. First baseman Christina Enea started out in the inning with a single to left field. Pitcher Kami Keiter hit a sacrifice bunt to advance Prather, who was pinch runner for Enea, to second. Designated hitter Amber Spaulding then grounded out to third base to put Prather in scoring position at third. Vesely then hit her single to score Prather.

OU scored two more runs in the fourth inning when Enea scored off a Keiter double and right fielder Jamie Fox stole home.

The Cyclones rallied in the fifth inning and scored three runs off three hits to tie the game at three. After freshman Kristy Olsen grounded out to the pitcher to start things off, junior Cary Akins hit a solid single to left field. Senior Misty Kimura was hit by a pitch to send Akins to second. Senior Diana Reuter hit her third double of the year to advance Akins and Kimura to third and second, respectively to load the bases when senior Kim Rodgers came up to bat. Rodgers promptly hit a triple to score Akins, Kimura and Reuter.

The tied game was short-lived however as OU scored two runs in each of the next two innings to extend its lead to 7-3. The Cyclones had one more chance in the top of the seventh inning, but couldn't find the hits and OU took the first game in the series.

Iowa State had five hits and zero errors compared to 15 OU hits. Rodgers led ISU with two hits and three RBI. Sophomores Alyssa Ransom and Katie Reichling each saw time on the mound, with Ransom taking the loss. Her record falls to 5-9 on the year.

Iowa State played solidly in the second game, as it was scoreless until the bottom of the fifth inning when Oklahoma's Keiter hit a solo home run to give the Sooners a 1-0 lead. Oklahoma put the explanation point on the game when OU All-Americans Heather Scaglione hit a solo home run over the center field wall. The Cyclones had three hits in the second game, with sophomores Ashley Killeen and Katie Reichling and senior Diana Reuter all having singles Reichling was on the mound for ISU and took the loss, her record falling to 4-5.

“We weren't good enough today to beat a very good team,” head coach Ruth Crowe said. “To win games, you have to play seven innings and I think we're still trying to learn that. I thought we were much better offensively in the second game even though the stats don't show it.”

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