Upcoming Event: Softball versus DMACC on September 17, 2025 at 4 p.m.
4 p.m.
Softball
DMACC
Iowa State University Athletics
Saturday, March 2
Greeley, Colo.
1 p.m.
Iowa State University
8-9
14
at
1
Northern Colorado
5-12
1
2
3
4
5
R
H
E
Iowa State
4
3
0
5
2
14
14
0
Northern Colorado
0
0
0
1
0
1
2
0
Cyclones Sweep Northern Colorado on the Road
03.02.2024 | Softball
GREELEY, Colo. – On the second day of the Colorado Classic, Iowa State (9-9) got back to .500, defeating the Northern Colorado Bears (5-13) twice as part of a Saturday doubleheader.
Game one was all Cyclones, as ISU dominated from the get-go. Iowa State scored 14 runs on 14 hits and allowed just one run on two hits as it went on to win by 13 in a five-inning contest.
Game two was not quite as easy for the Cyclones. ISU burned through four pitchers, as UNC took a 5-1 lead in the first three innings of action. But ISU persevered, hitting a season-high 18 balls on the day as it broke a 6-6 stalemate in the top of the seventh, eventually prevailing 8-6.
Angelina Allen had a monster day for the Cyclones, going 6-7 at the plate with a pair of homers and three doubles while also chipping in six RBI. Olivia Wardlow also had a great day, as the junior went 5-6 at the plate, including a perfect 4-4 in game two.
Five different pitchers saw action on the day, spearheaded by senior Karlie Charles who hurled a team-high 6.1 innings on the day. Charles recorded four strikeouts, allowing just three hits and a run. Jaiden Ralston had a good showing against UNC in game one, earning her first win of the season, going 3.1 innings. Aziza Rodriguez picked up her first collegiate save on the afternoon, entering game two in the bottom of the seventh to hold off a potential Bear rally.
ISU 14, UNC 1
Saturday's first game was just all Iowa State. In a matchup that wasn't close from the first pitch, ISU was all over the ball, scoring an efficient 14 runs on 14 hits.
Senior Sophie Maras had a whale of a game, bringing in an ISU-high five RBI on the day. Four of Maras's RBI came from a grand slam in the fourth inning.
Along with Maras's big game was Allen who just seems to be seeing beach balls at the plate. Allen had two homers in the game and four RBI, moving her season totals up to 34 hits, 25 RBI and seven homers (all of which lead the team).
Ralston had a good game in the circle, going 3.1 and allowing just one run on a solo shot from the Bears.
How it Happened
It took little time for the Cyclones to grab a lead, as Allen mashed her sixth homer of the season to make it 1-0 in the first. Ranches, Spelhaug and Maras all had RBI in the inning as well, putting ISU up 4-0.
UNC went down in order as ISU came back to the plate in the second. With both Wardlow and Ochoa on, Allen smacked her second homer of the game to make it 7-0 just two innings in.
Both teams were scoreless in the third, but ISU came back swinging in the fourth, adding five more runs. It started with a Minor RBI single and was punctuated with Maras's grand slam to make it 12-0.
The Bears scored their lone run of the game in the bottom of the frame off of Ella Gonzales's one-run homer.
McKenna Andrews drove in a pair in the fifth and final inning to make it 14-1 as ISU earned a 13-run, run-rule victory in game one.
Saturday Notes
Home Runs
Iowa State: Angelina Allen 2(7), Sophie Maras (1)
Northern Colorado: Ella Gonzales (1)
WP – Jaiden Ralston (1-3): 3.1 IP, 2 hits, 1 run, 1 walk, 4 strikeouts
SV – N/A
LP – Grace Algrim (0-2): 0.2 IP, 5 hits, 4 runs, 0 walks, 0 strikeouts
ISU 8, UNC 6
The Cyclones started game two much slower than game one, falling behind 5-1 early and burning through a couple pitchers along the way.
After falling behind by four, a four-run fourth inning would tie things up. Both UNC and ISU would score a run in the sixth, making it 6-all, as the game went to the seventh.
In the top of the seventh, team captain Milaysia Ochoa played hero, belting what would be the game-winning, two-run homer over the center field fence and putting ISU up 8-6.
Coach Pinkerton turned to the freshman Rodriguez to close things out, and that she did, earning her first save of the season.
How it Happened
Northern Colorado drew a pair of walks to start the contest, forcing an ISU pitching change. The very next batter homered, driving in three to give the Bears an early advantage. UNC then loaded the bases after the homer with no outs and walked in a fourth run. Freshman Lauren Schurman eventually got out of the jam, earning back-to-back strikeouts before grounding out the final batter.
ISU got its first run on the board in the second, using a pair of singles to get two on. Olivia Wardlow would then bloop a single into left and score Carli Spelhaug from second to make it 1-4.
The Bears tacked on a fifth run in the bottom of the frame, singling in a leadoff double to make it 5-1 in favor of UNC.
A scoreless third gave way to the fourth where Iowa State exploded for four runs. The inning began with back-to-back singles from Maras and Tiana Poole to put a pair on. Pinch hitting, Paige Nakashima sent a deep fly ball to center which would be caught but allow Maras to come across on the sac fly. Another single, this time from Wardlow, established another two runners on. Allen sent a single up the middle to plate Poole and make it 3-5. Ranches then came to the plate and smacked a double into center that UNC's outfielder would misjudge, allowing both runners to score and tie the game up at five apiece.
ISU took its first lead of the game in the sixth, as Allen's second RBI of the day brought Ochoa in to make it 6-5 in favor of Iowa State. It didn't last for long though, as UNC tied it up in the sixth with a solo shot.
In the top of the seventh, with two outs, Wardlow singled to left to put a runner on. That brought about the top of the order and Ochoa, who promptly smoked her second home run of the season over the right center fence to make it 8-6 in what would prove to be the game-winning home run.
Rodriguez came in to close, replacing Charles. Things got hairy for the Cyclones, as UNC put runners on first and second with one out. A groundout and a lineout though would prove to be the end of the Bears' attempted rally, giving ISU its tenth win on the year.
Saturday Notes
Home Runs
Iowa State: Milaysia Ochoa (2)
Northern Colorado: Amailee Morales 2(5)
WP – Karlie Charles (1-3): 3.2 IP, 3 hits, 1 run, 0 walks, 2 strikeouts
SV – Aziza Rodriguez (1): 1.0 IP, 2 hits, 0 runs, 1 walk, 0 strikeouts
LP – Erin Caviness (3-5): 7.0 IP, 18 hits, 8 runs (7 earned), 0 walks, 4 strikeoutsÂ
On Deck
Iowa State will wrap up the Colorado Classic tomorrow, March 3, when it returns to Fort Collins to face off with the Colorado State Rams in the third meeting between the teams in the weekend tournament. First pitch for tomorrow's game is scheduled for 12 p.m. CT and action will be streamed on the Mountain West Network.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Ralston, Jaiden (1-3)
L: Algrim, G (0-2)
Batting:
2B: Ochoa, Milaysia 1 ; Minor, Ashley 1 ; Andrews, McKenna 1 ; Ranches, Alesia 1
HR: Allen, Angelina 2 ; Maras, Sophie 1
RBI: Allen, Angelina 4 ; Minor, Ashley 1 ; Andrews, McKenna 2 ; Ranches, Alesia 1 ; Spelhaug, Carli 1 ; Maras, Sophie 5
Base Running:
RUNS: Ochoa, Milaysia 2 ; Allen, Angelina 3 ; Gose, Kali 1 ; Minor, Ashley 1 ; Buss, Ireland 1 ; Ranches, Alesia 2 ; Spelhaug, Carli 2 ; Maras, Sophie 1 ; Wardlow, Olivia 1
SB: Spelhaug, Carli 1
CS: Maras, Sophie 1
Batting:
HR: Gonzales, E 1
RBI: Gonzales, E 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Gonzales, E 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
AB
2
R
3
H
2
RBI
4
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
AB
3
R
2
H
2
RBI
1
AB
3
R
2
H
2
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
IF
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
UTL
/ Softball
INF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
UTL
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
LHP
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
UTL
/ Softball
INF
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