OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. – Iowa State (20-31) saw its 2024 softball season come to an end Wednesday night, as it fell to Texas Tech (29-20) by a score of 10-9 in the first round of the Big 12 Championship at Devon Park on a cloudy evening.
The Cyclones took a commanding 6-0 lead into the bottom of the fourth inning, but the Red Raiders gradually chipped away at the lead, eventually tying the game at nine in the seventh before walking off the Cyclones in the eighth. The game tied the Big 12 Tournament record for most runs in a game with 19. The loss snapped a two-year streak of winning in the first round of the tournament for the Cyclones.
The Cyclones got an outstanding performance from senior captain Milaysia Ochoa in her final game as a Cyclone. The lefty delivered a game-high five RBI – tied for the most in a single Big 12 Tournament game ever – on two hits. Angelina Allen tallied two more doubles, running her season total to 22 as she finishes three shy of the single-season school record. Carli Spelhaug also had a multi-hit game for ISU as she notched one RBI in her final game in the cardinal and gold.
Lauren Schurman got the start for the Cyclones, allowing three runs on three hits in 3.2 innings of action. Jaiden Ralston relieved Schurman, pitching for 3.1 innings before Karlie Charles (5-9) finished the game off.
Kailey Wyckoff was the story of the game for TTU, as she had two hits – both of which were homers – including the walk-off winner. Kennedy Crites had a game-high three hits while Aubrey Barnhart also collected a pair. Wyckoff had four RBI, trailing Ochoa for the game high.
Three TTU pitchers saw the circle, with Olivia Rains (7-2) eventually earning the win. Maddy Wright got the start, hurling 3.2 innings of work where she gave up six runs on six hits. Maddie Kuehl saw 1.1 innings of action where she allowed three runs, before Rains finished the game.
How it Happened
It was a three up, three down first frame on each side of the plate, as the game got off to a scoreless start.
The Cyclones quickly broke the stalemate in the second, plating a pair of runs to take a 2-0 lead. Ashley Minor led off the inning by being hit by her 15th pitch of the season, tying the single-season school record. Next up was Spelhaug who drilled a ball into left field just under a diving TTU player as she raced around for a triple to score the first run of the game. A Marin deep sac fly would plate Spelhaug to make it two runs in the second.
The Red Raiders would leave a pair stranded in the second, as the inning turned to the third. After a groundout, Ochoa drew a walk to put a runner aboard. Like clockwork, Allen laced a double into right center field to plate Ochoa – earning Allen her 21st double of the season – as ISU took a 3-0 advantage.
The Cyclones doubled their lead in the fourth, loading the bases with two outs. Ochoa stepped to the plate and belted a ball to the left center fence, clearing the bases and giving the Cyclones a 6-0 advantage.
Texas Tech finally got on the board in the bottom of the fourth frame, halving the ISU lead and plating three runs of their own on four hits.
The Cyclones were held scoreless in the fifth, as Texas Tech tacked on another run in the frame to make it 6-4 in favor of ISU.
After an Olivia Wardlow leadoff walk, Ochoa blasted a missile over the venter field wall to make it 8-4 in favor of the Cyclones. Allen followed Ochoa with her second double of the ball game and was able to come all the way home on a TTU error, giving ISU a five-run advantage.
The Red Raiders began creeping back into the game in the sixth, as Kailey Wyckoff cranked a three-run homer down the right line to make it a two-run game again.
The Cyclones were held scoreless in the top of the seventh and needed just three outs to preserve their two-run lead. Texas Tech led the frame off with a solo shot and two batters later, another one to tie the game up at nine-all.
Iowa State was unable to regain a lead in the eighth, making the game turn to the bottom of the inning. There, with one out, Wyckoff launched her second home run of the game to walk-off the Cyclones and advance the Red Raiders to the second round where they will meet top-ranked Texas.
