Late Inning Heroics Lead ISU Past No. 18 Baylor

AMES, Iowa – The Iowa State Cyclones (20-27, 3-10 Big 12) picked up its second ranked win of the season on Friday after toppling the No. 18 Baylor Bears 4-2 on Friday.

The Cyclones used some late-inning heroics to propel them to their 20th victory of the season. Alesia Ranches delivered the go-ahead RBI single in the bottom of the sixth inning and Natalie Wellet plated a much-needed insurance run to seal the deal on Friday.

The win marks ISU's second consecutive win against a ranked opponent, with the other coming on April 16 against the then-No. 3 Oklahoma State Cowboys.

How it Happened
The first inning would see the game's first run cross the plate on an RBI fielder's choice off the bat of Sydney Collazos. The Bears were able to load the bases against Cyclone starting pitcher Ellie Spelhaug but were only able to plate one run in the inning.

The bottom of the first inning saw some fireworks in the form of Mikayla Ramos's 33rd career home run. She now sits in a tie for fourth place with Erica Miller in ISU history.

After throwing a zero on the scoreboard in the second and third inning, Iowa State would plate its second run of the game in the bottom of the third inning. Alesia Ranches began the inning by lacing a single to right field. She would then be manufactured all the way to third and would hustle home to score via a Dariana Orme wild pitch to make the score 2-1 after three innings.

The Bears would use three hits and a two-out rally to plate the tying run in the fifth inning. Amber Toven was responsible for driving in the game-tying run, her 29th of the season.

The sixth inning would see the Cyclones load the bases with one out after a walk and two singles given up by relief pitcher Kaci West. Alesia Ranches laced a single to right field to drive in the go-ahead run and Natalie Wellet would follow that up with an RBI single of her own to give the Cyclones a lead and the upset win in their last at-bat.

After struggling a bit in the first inning, Ellie Spelhaug (4-7) rebounded nicely and picked up her fourth win of the season on Friday. She ended up pitching six complete innings, allowing two earned runs on eight hits and striking out one.

Saya Swain came in and slammed the door shut on any comeback hopes for the Bears in her lone inning of work to record her fourth save of the season.

Dariana Orme started for the Bears and pitched solidly but was unable to record the decision in this game. Sophomore Kaci West (7-3) picked up the loss in relief after allowing two runs in her lone inning of work.

Friday's Notes
Home Runs
ISU: Mikayla Ramos (5)
Baylor: N/A

WP: E. Spelhaug (4-7): 6.0 IP, 8 Hits, 2 Earned Runs, 2 walks, 1 strikeout
SV: Saya Swain (4): 1.0 IP, 0 Hits, 0 Earned Runs, 0 walks, 1 strikeout
LP: Kaci West (7-3): 1.0 IP, 3 Hits, 2 Earned Runs, I walk, 1 strikeout

On Deck
Iowa State will return to the Cyclones Sports Complex tomorrow afternoon, to take on the Bears in game two of the weekend series. Tomorrow's action is set to start at 1 p.m. and will be broadcast on Big 12 Now on ESPN+.

-ISU-

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Team Stats

Alesia Ranches

Mikayla Ramos

Kasey Simpson

Kali Gose

Players Mentioned

Mikayla Ramos

Alesia Ranches

Ellie Spelhaug

Saya Swain

Natalie Wellet

Players Mentioned

Mikayla Ramos

Alesia Ranches

Ellie Spelhaug

Saya Swain

Natalie Wellet

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