Cyclones Walk-Off Bulldogs in Extras

Wednesday, March 25

Ames, Iowa

4 p.m.

Iowa State

20-10

Drake

7-19

Drake

Iowa State

Photo by: Iowa State Athletics

Cyclones Walk-Off Bulldogs in Extras

03.25.2026 | Softball

Box Score Box Score (.pdf)

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State (20-10, 3-3 Big 12) ran its winning streak to five on Wednesday evening, besting the Drake Bulldogs (7-19, 1-5 MVC) by a score of 6-5 in eight innings.

ISU, which has now won all four of its home games, trailed for most of the game before tying things up in the fifth and eventually winning it in the eighth. The Cyclone bats were limited to just nine hits as the team left 10 runners on base.

Karlee Ford was the hero for the Cyclones, as the sophomore belted a deep, two-out single to the wall to plate the game-winning run and clinch the walk-off win. Ford finished tied for a team-high in hits with two, along with Reagan Bartholomew. Ford had three of the team's six RBI, while Sydney Malott had two. On top of her two-hit outing, Bartholomew drew three walks – a personal best.

Liv Palumbo got the start for ISU, allowing two earned runs on three hits with a pair of strikeouts. Jaiden Ralston tossed three steady innings of relief, allowing just one knock in 11 batters faced. Lauren Schurman (11-2) closed things out and earned the win, allowing just one run in three innings of action.

For the Bulldogs, Kiley Kindelspire, Tatum Aragon and Natalee Watts each had a pair of hits to lead the squad. The team scattered five RBI across five players, while Ava Husak scored two runs. Ashlynn Sheets (3-4) picked up the loss in relief, allowing two runs on three hits and giving up three walks.

How it Happened
Drake struck first in the in-state showdown, as Pearson Hall blasted a solo shot in the top of the opening inning to put the Bulldogs on top, 1-0.

The Cyclones answered in the bottom of the frame, stringing together quality two-out at-bats. After a pair of two-out walks, Ford sent a single up the middle to plate two and put ISU on top, 2-1.

The Bulldogs answered right back in the second, using an error, a walk and a single to load the bases. A bases-loaded HBP scored run number two, a fielder's choice scored run number three, and a Kindelspire single scored the fourth as Drake took a 4-2 advantage.

After stranding the bases loaded in the bottom of the second, ISU didn't get another baserunner until the fifth and made sure to make it count. A leadoff double from Bartholomew was immediately driven in by Sydney Malott. Later, with Malott on second, a Kadence Shepherd double would score her and tie things up at four apiece.

Each team would leave a runner stranded in both the sixth and seventh innings, so the game would head to extras knotted at four.

In the top of the eighth, Drake was able to score one run on three hits to take a lead and put themselves three outs away from a road win.

The Cyclones would get a pair of runners in scoring position before any outs were recorded in the bottom of the frame. A strikeout and a walk later, the bases were loaded with one out. A sac fly foul ball from Malott scored the tying run and left two runners in scoring position with two outs. Ford stepped back up to the plate and belted a ball to the wall scoring the winning run.

Wednesday Notes
Home Runs
Iowa State: N/A
Drake: Pearson Hall (4)

WP – Lauren Schurman (11-2): 3.0 IP, 5 hits, 1 run, 0 walks, 2 strikeouts
SV – N/A
LP – Ashlynn Sheets (3-4): 3.0 IP, 3 hits, 2 runs, 3 walks, 1 strikeout

On Deck
The Cyclones will be back in action when they head to Texas to take on the second-ranked Red Raiders in a three-game Big 12 series. All of ISU and TTU's games will be streamed live on ESPN+.