Upcoming Event: Softball versus DMACC on September 17, 2025 at 4 p.m.
4 p.m.
Softball
DMACC
Iowa State University Athletics
Friday, February 12
Ames, Iowa
4:30 PM
Iowa State University
7
vs
0
IUPUI
Cyclones Open 2016 With A Pair Of Wins
02.12.2016 | Softball
AMES, Iowa – The Iowa State softball team opened its 2016 season with a pair of wins on Friday at the Bergstrom Indoor Complex. The Cyclones started the day with a dominant 7-0 victory over IUPUI, and followed it up with a 8-7 10-inning thriller over Eastern Illinois.
Game One: Iowa State 7 IUPUI 0
The Cyclones got on the board right away, as freshman Kirsten Caudle collected the first ISU hit of the 2016 season on her first at-bat. Caudle, batting second for Iowa State, scored on an Aly Cappaert RBI single. The Cyclones would tack on another run when Kelsey McFarland singled to center, bringing Cappaert home.
After a third running in the second inning on a Brittany Gomez RBI single scoring Sammie Hildreth, the Cyclones really broke things open in the third. Another freshman, pinch runner Katie Dukes, scored when McFarland singled through the right side. McFarland and Antillon would then score on a sequence of a wild pitch, followed by a passed ball, respectively. Niki Turner would tack on the final Cyclone run on a Cathlin Bingham sacrifice fly to center.
While the Iowa State offense may have slowed down from there, the pitching of Savannah Sanders was just getting started. Sanders, a freshman making the first start of her career, was tremendous throughout. In seven innings of work, the newcomer gave up just four hits and five walks while striking out eight Jaguar batters.
Game Two: Iowa State 8 Eastern Illinois 7
The Cyclones' second game of the day got off to an uneven start. On the second pitch of the game, ISU starter Brianna Weilbacher was hit by a line-drive that brought all in attendance to a hush. The sophomore was eventually able to walk off under her own power and was replaced by freshman Emma Hylen. Following the scary incident with Weilbacher, the Cyclones gave up three first-inning runs.
Iowa State responded in kind the following inning, scoring three of their own. Hildreth ignited the offense with a two-RBI single up the middle, bringing Sally Woolpert and McFarland home. After Kaila Konz was hit by a pitch and Bingham singled to left to load the bases, Cappaert drew a walk to score Hildreth from third and knot things up at 3-3.
Iowa State took its first lead of the day on a suicide squeeze by Woolpert. With McFarland on third, Woolpert laid down the bunt beautifully to bring give the Cyclones on 4-3 lead. Hildreth would then get an RBI on a sac fly to bring Nychole Antillon home, and Iowa State led 5-3. The Panthers responded with one run in both the fourth and fifth inning.
The game was scoreless from that point until the ninth inning. Playing with the international tie-breaker, Eastern Illinois started the inning with a runner on second base. Senior slugger April Markowski then hit a three-run home run off of Sanders, now working in relief for ISU, to give EIU a 7-5 advantage. Sanders worked out of the inning with no further damage.
Cappaert then reached on a fielder's choice that also brought Gomez home to cut the deficit to one run with Bingham on second. Bingham would later score when McFarland brought her home with an RBI single, sending the game to the decisive 10th inning, tied 7-7.
Sanders shut down the Panther offense in the top half of the inning. Following a momentum killing double play, Bingham stepped to the plate with two outs and Hildreth on second. The junior knocked one to center field as Hildreth raced around the bases and beat the EIU throw home for a walk-off 8-7 victory.
Cyclone of the Day
Kelsey McFarland. The sophomore was unbelievable on the opening day of the season, going 7-for-7 at the dish with three RBIs, three runs scored, a double and a walk. Time and again, she came up to the plate in crucial situations for the Cyclones and came through every time.
On Deck
Iowa State will be back at it to take on North Dakota on Saturday, Feb. 13 at 1:30 p.m. Iowa State's third game of the Cyclone Indoor Invitational will be played at the Bergstrom Indoor Facility, and admission to all games will be free.
Players Mentioned
IF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
UT
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OF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
IF/OF
/ Softball
C/IF
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
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