Cyclones Fall to No. 22 UCF on Senior Day

Sunday, May 3

Ames, Iowa

11 a.m.

Iowa State

32-23, 9-15

UCF

38-15-1, 14-9-1

Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	Runs R	Hits H	Errors E
UCF	5	0	1	3	0	3	12	14	0
Iowa State	3	0	0	0	1	0	4	8	0

Photo by: Iowa State Athletics

Cyclones Fall to No. 22 UCF on Senior Day

05.03.2026 | Softball

Box Score Box Score (.pdf)

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State (32-23, 9-15 Big 12) saw its 2026 season come to a close on Sunday afternoon, falling to 22nd-ranked UCF (38-15-1, 14-9-1 Big 12) at the Cyclone Softball Complex by a score of 12-4 in six innings.

The Knights set an early tone in the series rubber match, plating five in the first inning behind a trio of home runs. UCF tacked on seven more across the final four innings to secure an eight-run win.

Tatum Johnson went 3-3 on her senior day, falling a home run shy of a cycle. She scored a pair of runs to lead all Cyclones. Sydney Malott collected a game-high three RBI, driving them all in on a three-run blast in the first. Reagan Bartholomew also collected a pair of hits in the game.

Jaiden Ralston (6-8) got the start in the circle for the Cyclones, while both Lauren Schurman and Hailey Holtz saw time in relief. Schurman had the team's only punchout of the afternoon.

Eight Knights collected Knocks on the day, with both Sierra Humphreys and Coco Jaimes having three hits apiece. Tori Payne (3-0) would pick up the win in relief.

How it Happened
UCF wasted little time, mashing three homers in the first frame to plate five runs and take an early advantage.

In the bottom of the first, Iowa State responded with three runs of its own via the long ball. A one-out triple from Johnson and a Karlee Ford walk put runners on the bases for Malott. Stepping in, Malott smashed the first pitch she saw over the left field fence to trim the deficit to two.

After a scoreless second, Ashleigh Griffin singled in a sixth run for UCF in the third to extend the lead to three.

The Knights would add on three more in the fourth, using a two-RBI triple and another Griffin RBI knock to make it 9-3.

The Cyclones used back-to-back doubles from Johnson and Bartholomew in the fifth to score their fourth run of the game, but the deficit was still formidable at five, trailing 9-4.

UCF ended things in the sixth, scoring three more runs before blanking the Cyclones in the flip half of the frame to earn a run-rule, series-clinching victory.

Sunday Notes
Home Runs
Iowa State: Sydney Malott (12)
UCF: Sierra Humphreys (13), Beth Damon (14), Aubrey Evans (10)

WP – Tori Payne (3-0): 4.0 IP, 4 hits, 1 run, 2 walks, 0 strikeouts
SV – N/A
LP – Jaiden Ralston (6-8): 0.0 IP, 2 hits, 3 runs, 2 walks, 0 strikeouts