Iowa State Upsets No. 4 Texas, 1-0, in Austin

AUSTIN, Texas ? With a national-television audience watching, Iowa State sophomore pitcher Alyssa Ransom threw a two-hit shutout gem and sophomore Jennifer Bigbee singled to center with two outs to propel the Cyclones to a 1-0 upset win over No. 4 Texas at the Longhorns' McCombs Field on Sunday. The victory marked the first win in program history for ISU over Texas as the Cyclones improve to 16-27 overall and 2-11 in Big 12 action.

No. 4 Texas was the second-highest ranked team ISU has ever defeated. In 2003, the Cyclones upended then-No. 3 Oklahoma, 2-1. The win also marks the first over a Top-25 team this season.

Ransom, the only Iowa State player from the state of Texas, hailing from nearby Round Rock, at one point retired 10 straight Longhorn batters. Ransom had two strikeouts on the day, with the biggest one as she caught Texas pinch hitter Christina Gywn looking on a called third strike for the final out of the win.

“My fastball was hitting in all of the right spots as best it could,” said Ransom. “I didn't get to throw my best pitch which is the screw ball, but everything else was working so I just went with that. It feels great (to beat Texas). It was one of the best moments of my life. I grew up watching Texas play and went to nearly every home game when I was in high school, so it's just awesome to come here with Iowa State and get the win.”

Ransom's pitching performance combined with a stellar defensive effort from her ISU teammates allowing the Cyclones to make the most of their scoring opportunity when it presented itself in the seventh inning. Sophomore Ashley Killeen led off the inning with a walk. Head coach Ruth Crowe went to her bench for pinch runner, senior Amber Wood. With one out, Wood advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by freshman Kristy Olsen. Bigbee then stepped into the batter's box and laced a single back up the middle to center and Wood raced around from second to score the game-winning run.

Iowa State returns home to play host to No. 24 Nebraska on Wednesday at the Southwest Athletic Complex. First pitch is set for 4 p.m. The Cyclones fell to the Cornhuskers, 2-0, on April 13, in Lincoln.

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