Cyclones Drop Two On Saturday In Macon

MACON, Ga. – The Iowa State softball team (11-7 overall) fell in a pair of games on Saturday at Mercer University's Black and Orange Challenge. Offense was hard to come by on the day for the Cyclones, as they fell 10-1 to open the day against Boston College, before a 5-0 loss to Mercer.

Game One: Boston College 10, Iowa State 1
It was a good start for the Cyclones, as Brittany Gomez singled to lead off in the top of the first, followed by a walk for Cathlin Bingham. After the Boston College defense turned a double play to get Gomez at third and Cappaert at first, Kelsey McFarland came to the plate in the clean-up spot. McFarland hit a blooper to left for an RBI double to score Bingham. It was the sixth-consecutive game that ISU has scored in the first inning, as the Cyclone took a 1-0 lead after one.

It was all Eagles from that point forward, as BC put four on the board in the bottom of the first. The Eagles got home runs from Jordan Chimento, Tatiana Cortez and Annie Murphy. Junior Mandi Moore came in to relieve starter Emma Hylen with two outs, and got out of the inning with the Cyclones trailing 4-1.

After a pair of scoreless innings, the Boston College offense came back to life. The Eagles brought in runs on a sac bunt, followed by an RBI double from Jordan Chimento to go ahead 6-1. After Brianna Weilbacher entered in relief of Moore, BC got a HBP with the bases loaded to bring another run to the plate.

The Cyclones made their final pitching change later in the inning, bringing sophomore newcomer Kristine Kimberley in with the bases loaded and two outs. Carly Severini put the final three Eagle runs on the board with a 3-RBI double to center, giving Boston College the 10-1 lead it would need to end the game in five innings.

Game Two: Mercer 5, Iowa State 0
It was Mercer's offense that showed up early in ISU's second game of the day. The Bears put lead-off batters Meghan Rud and Taylor Miller on the corners with no outs to open the game. MU then attempted a double steal, with Cyclone catcher Sammie Hildreth throwing Miller out at second, while Rud came in to score. The Cyclones trailed 1-0 after one.

In the second inning, the Bears came right back and added three more to the board. After singles from Natalie Shiver and Shaila Warren, Rud hit an inside the park home run to right field, bringing three runs to the plate, as the Bears took a 4-0 lead through two.

After two scoreless innings, the Bears were able to tack on one final run in the bottom of the fifth on a sac fly, for a final score of 5-0.

On Deck
Iowa State will face Fordham in the final game of the 2016 Black and Orange Challenge on Sunday. The game is set for 11 a.m. CT at Sikes Field.

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Players Mentioned

Cathlin Bingham

Brittany Gomez

Sammie Hildreth

Emma Hylen

Kristine Kimberley

Kelsey McFarland

Mandi Moore

Brianna Weilbacher

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics