Cyclones Welcome Bulldogs For Doubleheader

04.08.2008 | Softball

By: cyclones.com

AMES, Iowa - The Iowa State softball team hosts Drake Wednesday afternoon at the Southwest Athletic Complex. First pitch for the doubleheader is slated for 2 p.m.

Live Stats
Live stats for both games will be available at Cyclones.com.

Cyclone Notebook
- ISU (23-17, 1-5 Big 12) hosts intrastate foe Drake (17-16, 8-4 Missouri Valley) in a doubleheader Wednesday at the Southwest Athletic Complex.
- The Cyclones are looking to snap a six-game losing streak when they host the Bulldogs. With its next win, ISU will also match its win total from last year.
- During the losing streak, ISU is hitting just .218 at the plate. The pitching staff has struggled even more during the stretch, posting a 7.00 ERA and allowing opponents to hit .338.
- The Cyclones were swept by Texas A&M last weekend, falling 11-1 in the first game and 9-1 in the second. In the first, ISU was hampered by 12 free passes issued by the pitching staff. The Cyclones hit seven batters and walked five in the game.
- Against the Aggies, Courtney Wray got back on track, going 3-for-5 after going hitless in her previous 12 at-bats. Wray also had her team-leading eighth double of the season.
- Three Cyclones are on the verge of reaching 100 career hits. Senior Kristy Olsen is 12 hits shy and sophomores Alex Johnson and Courtney Wray need eight hits.
- Iowa State has 55 stolen bases on the season, which ranks as the fourth-best single-season in school history. Kelsey Kidwell has 14 steals on the season, just four shy of tying the record.
- Iowa State's leading hitter Ariel Coburn suffered a broken wrist in the loss to Creighton. Coburn, who is day-to-day, is second in the Big 12 with a .400 average and has a team-best six homers. Coburn has pinch ran in three games since the injury and stole her seventh game of the season against Texas A&M.
- Amanda Bradberry has been a bright spot in the Cyclones' lineup. Bradberry is hitting .455 (5-for-11) in the last five games and has made numerous highlight reel plays from her post at second base.
- Sydni Jones joins Bradberry for the team lead with a .357 average in Big 12 play. Jones is hitting just .226 on the season but has been solid in conference play.
- Since the Shocker Invitational, ISU has struggled to score runs. In Wichita, ISU scored 46 runs in five games. Since then, the Cyclones have plated just 30 runs in 18 games.
- The Cyclones have won 16 of the last 17 games against Drake. The Bulldogs snapped a 15-game losing streak to ISU by winning the first game of a doubleheader 3-2 in 2006. ISU rebounded for a 5-2 win.

Stat of the Week
Courtney Wray is batting .500 (14-for-28) with runners in scoring position in non-conference games.

Scouting Drake (17-16, 8-4 Missouri Valley)
- Drake comes to Ames having won seven of its last 10 games, including a series sweep of Northern Iowa last weekend.
- Against the Panthers, Susan Slycord went 6-for-10 with six RBI in the three games series.
- On the season, Marilyn Buss hits .329 to lead the Bulldogs while Slycord has driven in a team-high 23 RBI from the leadoff spot. As a team, Drake hits just .231 and doesn't run much, having stole 16 bases on 28 attempts.
- In the circle, freshman Brynne Dordel logs the majority of the action. Dordel has posted a 12-5 record and a 1.70 ERA while striking out an impressive 127 batters. Opponents are hitting just .187 against Dordel.
- The Cyclones hold a 63-13 edge in the all-time series, including a 35-3 mark at home.

A New Look
- Third-year Iowa State head coach Stacy Gemeinhardt-Cesler is taking a leave of absence as she is on bed rest expecting twins. Assistant coaches Gary Hines and Crystal Turner will serve as acting head coaches and former Cyclone Alyssa Ransom-Tjaden joins the squad as an interim assistant coach.

What A Game!!
- Sophomore Kelsey Kidwell had a game to remember when she went 4-for-5 with five runs scored and five stolen bases in the Cyclones' win over South Dakota State. The five stolen bases is a school record and leaves her in a tie for sixth in NCAA history. The five runs is also a school record and ties for the 13th-most in the NCAA record books.

Austin Connection
- Iowa State added three players from Austin, Texas this season to bring its total number of Texans to five. Freshmen Rachel Zabriskie and Carrie Monroe and junior college transfer Jacquelyn Beatty all hail from Texas. Senior Amie Ford (Katy, Texas) and freshman Sara Stinson (Mesquite, Texas) round out the Cyclones that hail from the Lone Star State.