ISU Softball Blank Valparaiso 10-0, But Falls to Bradley in Tournament Action

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. ? The Iowa State softball team shut out Valparaiso, 10-0, Sunday in the team's fourth game of the Southeast Classic tournament. The win improved ISU's record to 4-12 after it dropped the later contest against Bradley. Freshman Alyssa Ransom was the winning pitcher for ISU, while senior Julia Lindsey had two hits, three runs and one RBI against Valparaiso.

Against Valparaiso, neither team scored until the third inning when senior Misty Kimura hit a three-run homerun, sending junior Heather McLatchie and Lindsey home. In the fourth stanza, sophomore Cary Akins and Lindsey scored off Valparaiso errors. The Cyclones had another big inning in the fifth inning when they scored five runs off five hits to up the score to 10-0 after five innings. The Crusaders had one more chance to get on the scoreboard, but the Cyclones allowed only two hits to win the game. It was ISU's first shut out win of the season. Iowa State got runs from Lindsey (3), McLatchie (1), Kimura (1), Kelly Wardein (1), Core (1), Reuter (1), and Akins (2). The Cyclones had 12 hits and zero errors compared to three hits and four errors from the Crusaders.

ISU lost to Bradley, 3-1, in its last game of the tournament. Core had one hit and one run, while Akins had one hit as well as freshman Jessica Quade. Iowa State jumped on the scoreboard first in the third inning with Core's run, but the Braves scored three unanswered runs in the fifth inning to win the game, 3-1. The Cyclones had three hits and two errors for the game, while Bradley had seven hits and three errors.

Freshman Katie Reichling and Ransom split time on the pitching mound, combining for six strikeouts and one walk, with Ransom taking the loss.

Iowa State will travel to Georgia for spring break and will take on Georgia State on Wednesday, March 17, starting at 4 p.m. The Cyclones will then take part in the Georgia Tech Buzz Classic, starting on March 19, in Atlanta, Ga. The Cyclones will play Mercer on the 19^th, starting at 5 p.m., to begin the tournament.