Slater Heats Up But Cyclones Drop Two

GAME ONE STATS | GAME TWO STATS

TEMPE, Ariz. - Freshman Lexi Slater went 3-for-4 with two walks in Iowa State's two game on Friday but couldn't get the Cyclones (2-3, 0-0 Big 12) past Minnesota (4-1, 0-0 Big Ten) and Illinois State (4-1, 0-0 Missouri Valley) on Friday. Iowa State lost 9-1 to the Gophers and 10-2 to the Redbirds.

Iowa State hit .319 through the two games but the Gophers and Redbirds hit a blistering .647 on the day and drove in six two-out runs against the Cyclone pitching staff.

Against Minnesota, the Cyclones had early chances to score, putting two runners on with one out in the top of the first and advancing the runners to second and third before an Erica Miller strikeout ended the top of the frame. In the Iowa State third, Jennifer Drahozal (walk) and Slater (single) took spots on the bases but the Cyclones were unable to capitalize against Gopher starter Sara Moulton (3-1).

Iowa State plated its only run in the top of the fourth as second baseman Sara Davison singled home Slater who walked earlier in the frame. In her five innings of work, Moulton surrendered four hits and one run, walking four and recording nine strikeouts.

After scoring one run each in the first two innings, including a solo home run by Bree Blanchette, the Gophers went scoreless until pushing across five runs in the bottom of the fourth behind a grand slam from Tyler Walker to chase Tori Torrescano (2-1) from the game and take a 7-1 lead. In her second start of the season, Torrescano threw 3.1 innings allowing six hits and seven runs, six earned, walking one and striking out two.

In the sixth it was a groundout RBI by Kaitlyn Richardson and a wild pitch by Cyclone reliever Breeanna Holliday that put Minnesota up by eight runs to end the game.

In the second game of the day, Illinois State took a 1-0 lead on a leadoff homer in the bottom of the second by Laura Canopy off Iowa State's Miranda Kemp (0-2). The Redbirds scored a second run on a sacrifice fly by Nichelle Harrison before Kemp coaxed a pop out from Kolby Hoffman to send the game to the third inning.

The Redbirds added to their lead in the third, scoring two as Torrescano gave up a two-run double to Elizabeth Kay, the first batter the Cyclone junior faced after entering to relieve Kemp who threw 2.1 innings and absorbed the loss and all four runs through the third.

Torrescano got one back for Iowa State with a leadoff home run in the top of the fourth, her third home run of the season, cutting the Illinois State lead to 4-1. Drahozal notched a two-out, bases-loaded single later in the frame, leaving the Redbirds up by two.

That was as close as the Cyclones would get as Illinois State piled four more runs on in the bottom of the fifth and completed the six-inning win with a Caiti Kopp RBI and a bases-loaded walk by Iowa State sophomore Taylor Smith, the fourth Cyclone pitcher of the contest.

The Cyclones are back on the field on Saturday afternoon, taking on Iowa at 2 p.m. before facing host Arizona State at 8:30 p.m. Both times central.

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Players Mentioned

Sara Davison

Sara Davison

Jennifer Drahozal

Jennifer Drahozal

Breeanna Holliday

Erica Miller

Erica Miller

Lexi Slater

Taylor Smith

Tori Torrescano

Tori Torrescano

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