AMES, Iowa – Sandwiched between two road series, Iowa State (18-25) picked up its third straight midweek game and fourth straight non-conference victory as it handled St. Thomas (14-32) on Tuesday afternoon, winning 12-7.
In a game that featured 19 total runs and four long balls, Tuesday’s action started as a back-and-forth affair. There were four lead changes before a fifth-inning tie at seven apiece. The Cyclones scored the final five runs of the game to go on and earn their 18th win of the season.
Angelina Allen and Carli Spelhaug each had three hits on the afternoon while Ashley Minor churned out a career-best five RBI. Spelhaug, who fell a home run shy of the cycle, notched her 200th career hit on the day, becoming just the sixth player in school history to achieve the feat. She joins teammate Milaysia Ochoa as members of the exclusive club as Ochoa did so over the weekend. Olivia Wardlow also had a multi-hit afternoon while both Tatum Johnson and Tiana Poole each drew a pair of walks.
Four different Cyclones saw the circle on Tuesday, as Tatum Johnson got the nod to start. Both Karlie Charles and Lauren Schurman would relieve Johnson and cover 4.1 innings of action, giving up a combined six runs. Jaiden Ralston (4-6) would enter with one out in the fifth and finish the game off, striking out a quartet of Tommies on her way to her tenth career win.
St. Thomas had a pair of batters, Brooke Betson and Abbi Stierlen, record multiple hits on the day, while Cassidy Carby and Stierlen each had multi-RBI outings. Kaitlyn Raymond, UST’s leadoff hitter, drew a pair of walks and scored a pair of runs on the afternoon – both team highs.
St. Thomas had three different pitchers each handle two innings of action, as Keira Murphy got the start in the circle. Murphy allowed six runs in her two innings before giving way to Morgan Klein. Klein allowed two runs (one earned) before being replaced by Christina Crawford (6-16).
How it Happened
St. Thomas got on the board first, plating a run in the first inning of action. A pair of leadoff walks forced an ISU pitching change before Abbi Stierlen knocked a ball into right field to score one and put the Tommie on top.
ISU wasted little time responding, as an Allen double and Ranches single quickly put runners on the corners for the Cyclones in the bottom of the first frame. Minor then stepped up to the plate and tattooed a ball over the center field wall to give the Cyclones a 3-1 lead.
UST responded with a vengeance in the second, plating four runs to take a 5-3 advantage. A three-run homer from Carby and a Sydney Mickett RBI single did the damage for the Tommies in the frame.
Not to be outdone, Iowa State retook the lead in the bottom of the inning, notching a second-straight three-run frame and taking a 6-5 edge. With runners on second and third, Ochoa flied out to right field, allowing Johnson to score. With the bases loaded, Minor stepped back into the batter’s box ready to do some damage. She torpedoed a single into center field, plating a pair and putting ISU back in the lead.
The Cyclones were able to tack on another run in the third thanks to Spelhaug. The senior first baseman sent a ball all the way to the right field wall that took a wicked bounce, forcing the right fielder to give chase. Spelhaug rounded into third with a stand-up triple, however, an errant throw from the Tommies allowed her to come in from third for a seventh run of the game.
The fourth inning was the only blank frame of the afternoon before the teams combined to score five in the fifth.
A solo shot from Stierlen closed the ISU advantage to just one. A pair of singles put runners on the corners for the Tommies who then tried to bait a throw down on a steal play. ISU attempted to get the runner, but a fielding error allowed the runner from first to second to be safe while the runner from third would come in and tie the game up.
Iowa State responded in a big way, scoring five unanswered runs across its last two innings, highlighted by a Camille Marin two-run bomb. Tatum Johnson accounted for two more RBI while Spelhaug accounted for one as ISU went on to win its 18th game of the year.
Tuesday Notes
Home Runs
Iowa State: Ashley Minor (8), Camille Marin (2)
St. Thomas: Cassidy Carby (4), Abbi Stierlen (5)
WP – Jaiden Ralston (4-6): 2.2 IP, 1 hit, 0 runs, 0 walks, 4 strikeouts
SV – N/A
LP – Christina Crawford (6-16): 2.0 IP, 6 hits, 4 runs, 1 walk, 1 strikeout
On Deck
After a brief one-game stay at the Cyclone Sports Complex, Iowa State will be back on the road this weekend when it head to top-ranked Texas for its penultimate Big 12 series of the season. The Cyclones and Longhorns will -lay a three-game series with action being scheduled to get underway on Friday, April 26, with first pitch coming at 6 p.m.
