Upcoming Event: Softball versus DMACC on September 17, 2025 at 4 p.m.
4 p.m.
Softball
DMACC
Iowa State University Athletics
Saturday, March 29
Ames, Iowa
1 p.m.
Iowa State University
16-15, 6-3
4
vs
3
Arizona State
24-12, 6-6
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
R
H
E
Arizona State
0
3
0
0
0
0
0
3
6
1
Iowa State
2
2
0
0
0
0
X
4
5
1
Cyclones Hold Off Sun Devils in Saturday Rubber Match
03.29.2025 | Softball
AMES, Iowa – A furious first two innings were followed by great pithing and defensive dominance the rest of the way, as Iowa State (16-15, 6-3 Big 12) held on for a 4-3 win over Arizona State (24-12, 6-6 Big 12) to secure its second-straight Big 12 series win.
For the Cyclones, it is their first back-to-back Big 12 series victory since 2023 when it downed Baylor and Kansas to close the season. ISU has matched its conference win total from the previous four seasons with 15 Big 12 games to go. ISU's 6-3 start to Big 12 play is its best nine-game start in school history.
In what was the second 4-3 victory for the Cyclones this weekend, pitching and defense was again the story. ISU plated two in the first and second and held on from there, limiting the Sun Devils to just one hit in the last five frames.
Five different Cyclones collected hits on the afternoon, while Jessie Clemons, Paige Zender and Sydney Malott had RBI. Malott as well as catcher Karlee Ford had the only extra-base hits for ISU – each notching a double.
Lauren Schurman (7-9) earned the win, allowing three runs on six hits in her four innings of action. Out of bullpen, Jaiden Ralston (1) was lock-down. The junior hurled three hitless innings to close things out.
For Arizona State, six different Sun Devils had hits, with third baseman Takyla Davis owning a game-high two RBI. In the circle, Meika Lauppe and Julianne Tipton (5-2) pitched the first inning and two-thirds for ASU, allowing all four runs on four hits. Replacing them was Kenzie Brown who shoved, as she finished with nine strikeouts.
How it Happened
ASU led the game off with an infield single, stoking some early momentum. The Cyclones had an immediate answer, turning two with the very next batter, as McKenna Andrews flipped to Sereniti Trice who hurled to Malott to put two outs on the board.
After escaping the first inning unscathed, ISU got on the board first in the bottom of the frame. Trice and Clemons led things off for the Cyclones with back-to-back singles, placing runners on the corners. A wild pitch score Trice and kick off the scoring. With Clemons now on second and with two outs, Malott doubled into left center, plating ISU's second run to go up 2-0.
The Sun Devils struck back in the second, scoring three to take a one-run lead. A pair of singles would put runners on the bases with no outs to open the frame up. Another single, courtesy of Samantha Swan, drove in ASU's first run of the game. With runners now on second and third, another Sun Devil single – their fourth of the inning – plated runs two and three as the advantage went to Arizona State, 3-2.
The Cyclones plated two more in the bottom of the inning, leading things off with a Hayleigh Oliver walk and Ford double – her second of the weekend. With runners on second and third, Paige Zender hit into a fielder's choice that saw ASU try to get the out at home unsuccessfully, tying the game up. With one out and runners now on the corners, Clemons stepped into the box and sent a long fly ball to right field, scoring Ford and making it 4-3 in favor of ISU.
Each team recorded just one hit in the remaining five frames, as neither side was able to get things going at the plate.
In the seventh, when the Sun Devils needed it, they got a leadoff runner on via walk. However, the very next pitch, the first base runner left early on an attempted steal to make out number one. An ISU error breathed life back into the Sun Devil lineup, but a foul out and a strikeout ended things for ASU and secured the win for the Cyclones.
Saturday Notes
Home Runs
Iowa State: N/A
Arizona State: N/A
WP – Lauren Schurman (7-9): 4.0 IP, 6 hits, 3 runs, 1 walk, 0 strikeouts
SV – Jaiden Ralston (1): 3.0 IP, 0 hits, 0 runs, 2 walks, 1 strikeout
LP – Julianne Tipton (5-2): 1.0 IP, 1 hit, 2 runs, 1 walk, 0 strikeouts
On Deck
ISU will be back in action this Tuesday, April 1, when they host South Dakota State for a midweek doubleheader. Tuesday's game one is scheduled to begin at 1 pm and game two will follow roughly 30 minutes later. Both meetings will be streamed live on ESPN+.
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Schurman, Lauren (7-9)
L: Tipton, Julianne (5-2)
S: Ralston, Jaiden (1)
Batting:
2B: Mejia, Ashleigh 1
RBI: Swan, Samantha 1 ; Davis, Takyla 2
Base Running:
RUNS: Ho-Ching, Tiare 1 ; Acuna, Yannixa 1 ; Swan, Samantha 1
CS: Davis, Takyla 1
Batting:
2B: Malott, Sydney 1 ; Ford, Karlee 1
RBI: Zender, Paige 1 ; Clemons, Jessie 1 ; Malott, Sydney 1
SF: Clemons, Jessie 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Trice, Sereniti 1 ; Clemons, Jessie 1 ; Oliver, Hayleigh 1 ; Ford, Karlee 1
SB: Andrews, McKenna 1
HBP: Andrews, McKenna 1
Game Leaders
Hitting
2b/pr
AB
3
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
2
R
1
H
1
RBI
1
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
0
AB
3
R
0
H
1
RBI
1
Players Mentioned
INF
/ SoftballINF
/ Softball
C
/ SoftballINF
/ Softball
OF
/ Softball
RHP
/ Softball
RHP
/ SoftballINF
/ Softball
INF
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