COLUMBIA, S.C. – The Iowa State softball team (8-6) took down Boston College (5-8), 5-4, in the final game of the Gamecock Invitational on Sunday at Carolina Softball Stadium. The Cyclones got an RBI single by Mikayla Ramos in the seventh inning to break up a 4-4 tie, as the Cyclones improved to 3-1 on their weekend in Columbia.
Boston College 4, Iowa State 5
The offense was alive and ready to start the game for the Cyclones, posting two hits in the opening inning, including a Logan Schaben single to left field that scored Carli Spelhaug to give Iowa State the 1-0 lead.
In the second, it was more scoring for the Cyclones as Kasey Simpson and Mikayla Ramos tallied back-to-back singles and both advanced to second and third on a Boston College throwing error. Simpson then came in to score on a Boston College wild pitch, padding the Cyclone lead to 2-0.
Boston College would respond to the early Iowa State push, however, as they plated two runs on four hits in the home half of the third inning.
The Cyclones would retake the lead in the fifth off of Ramos sacrifice fly to the second baseman that scored Sami Williams from third.
In the sixth, sophomore Kasey Simpson would be hit by a pitch to get on base for the Cyclones. Carli Spelhaug followed that up by also being hit by a pitch to put runners on first and second. Williams would then hit a bloop single over the head of the first baseman to plate speedy pinch runner, Lea Nelson, who was running for Simpson, giving Iowa State the 4-2 advantage.
For Boston College, they would once again claw back to tie the ball game in the bottom the sixth inning on a two-run home run to left field, knotting the score at 4-4.
In the final inning of the game, Schaben did not waste any time for the Cyclones as she hit a lead-off single to left and then proceeded to steal second base. Ramos, the Cyclone catcher, would then allow Schaben to come in to score on a single up the middle, giving Iowa State their third lead of the game, 5-4.
The Eagles didnt go down quietly, as their lead-off hitter was walked to start the bottom half of the inning, but pitcher Ellie Spelhaug would get out of the inning, fielding a grounder and turning two for the final two outs of the game, giving Iowa State the 5-4 victory. Spelhaug picked up the victory, putting in 4.1 innings of relief work while allowing just two runs on two hits with three strikeouts. Starting pitcher Janessa Jasso also rang up three strikeouts in 2.2 innings of action.
On Deck
Iowa State will travel to Atlanta, Ga. next weekend for the I-75 Challenge. The Cyclones will be in action starting on Friday at 12:00 p.m. CT against Georgia Tech.
