CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Iowa State (7-4) split its Friday games as part of day one of the Rawlings Classic, falling to Delaware (6-4) in a nearly five-hour game before topping Lehigh (2-6) in the afternoon by a run. The story of game number one was the two-plus hour weather delay. Pitching got sloppy in the fourth, leading to an influx of runs, but after the break, both teams were back to dealing.

Iowa State’s second game was won purely in the fifth inning, as a five-run frame was enough to outlast the Mountain Hawk’s four runs. 

Delaware 8, ISU 5
In a wet, muddy open to the Rawlings Classic, Iowa State fell to Delaware by a score of 8-5. The game started slow but picked up with the rain, as pitchers began to lose control over the ball, resulting in multiple wild pitches, passed balls and walks.

The game featured a two-hour, 20-minute delay in the fourth, which came right in the middle of a Cyclone rally. Once play resumed, neither team was able to get anything going at the plate, resulting in a scoreless fifth, sixth and seventh.

Seven Cyclones had a hit on the afternoon, while Angelina Allen led the team with three RBI. Both Milaysia Ochoa and Alesia Ranches also had RBI on the day.

 How it Happened
The game started with an empty first inning, as neither side was able to do much. Iowa State snuffed out a Delaware runner at third who attempted to tag up on a flyout to earn an inning-ending double play.

ISU again held Delaware scoreless in the top of the second inning as rain started to fall in Charlottesville. In the bottom of the frame, Alesia Ranches uncorked her third homer of the season, a solo shot, to center, putting the Cyclones up 1-0.

The Blue Hens got on the board in the top of the fourth, stringing together a pair of singles and a fielder’s choice to load the bases with two outs. A single back to the pitcher brought one in and kept the bases juiced for Morgan Hess. Hess sent a well-struck ball to the left-center gap, clearing the bases and putting Delaware up 4-1.

Milaysia Ochoa was hit by a pitch in the top bottom of the frame, putting a runner on for the Cyclones. Angelina Allen then smacked her fourth homer of the season over the center field fence to make it 4-3 in favor of the Blue Hens. Ochoa’s HBP was the 28th of her career – tying an ISU career record.

The field conditions worsened in the fourth, as ISU pitchers struggled to control the ball. A leadoff walk and two straight advancements on wild pitches put a runner on third. Delaware tried to score on another Wry pitch, but a perfect bounce back off the backstop allowed for an out. Delaware drew three more walks in the inning and used a two-run homer to score four runs for the second-straight inning as it went up 8-3.

In the bottom of the fourth, Iowa State started the inning off with a double and a single to get two runners on. An Olivia Wardlow single would load the bases with one out, bringing Ochoa up to bat. She would draw a walk to bring one with Allen following her. Allen was three pitches into her at-bat when the umpires called for a delay in action (at 11:40 EST).

Two hours and twenty minutes later (2 p.m. EST), the game resumed where it left off, with the basses loaded and Allen at the plate. She would send a screeching grounder to the first baseman, who was only able to get Allen out at first. The inning ended with a Cyclone strikeout, concluding a two-and-a-half-hour bottom of the fourth. ISU trailed 5-8.

After everyone came back from the break, pitchers started to gain more control over the ball and both offenses struggled to get hits. Neither team scored in the final three innings as the game ended with a three-run win for Delaware. Iowa State was able to bring the tying run to the plate in the bottom of the seventh with two on, but a groundout ended the potential comeback.

 Friday Notes
Home Runs
Iowa State: Alesia Ranches (3), Angelina Allen (4)
Delaware: Gianna Costaro (4)

 WP – Emily Winburn (4-1): 4.2 IP, 5 hits, 2 runs (0 earned), 3 walks, 4 strikeouts
SV – N/A
LP – Jaiden Ralston (0-2): 3.0 IP, 6 hits, 4 runs, 1 walk, 1 strikeout

 ISU 5, Lehigh 4
A five-run fifth inning was the difference in the second game of the first day of the Rawlings Classic for the Cyclones. Five different “Clones had a hit on the afternoon, with four earning RBI. It was just the second game of the season that Iowa State did not register a homer. Aziza Rodriguez picked up her second win on the afternoon, going a career-high five innings on the day.

 How it Happened
Both teams were scoreless in the opening frame, with each team registering just one hit. The Mountain Hawks were the first team on the scoreboard, tacking on one run in the top of the second thanks to a Julia Mrochko sacrifice fly. Like the first, both the third and fourth were scoreless on both sides. A leaping grab from McKenna Andrews and subsequent toss to second doubled up Lehigh to end the fourth frame.

The Mountain Hawks had two hits in the top of the fifth but were unable to convert, maintaining their 1-0 lead. The Cyclones exploded in the bottom of the fifth, piling on five runs to take a four-run lead. An RBI double from Tiana Poole and a pair of RBI singles made it 3-1 in favor of the Cyclones, as they had bases loaded with one out. Ranches drew a bases-loaded walk to score Wardlow from third. Moving from second to third was Ochoa, who, smartly, rounded the base and sprinted in to score – catching Lehigh off guard as ISU scored two on the walk.

LU fought back in the top of the sixth, plating three, but was unable to get over the final hump and tie/take the lead as it went on to fall by one run.

Friday Notes
Home Runs
Iowa State: N/A
Lehigh: N/A

WP – Aziza Rodriguez (2-0): 5.0 IP, 8 hits, 2 runs, 1 walk, 0 strikeouts
SV – N/A
LP – Katelyn Young (1-3): 5.0 IP, 5 hits, 5 runs, 3 walk, 5 strikeouts

On Deck

Iowa State will be back at Palmer Park tomorrow, Feb. 24, for another pair of games in the Rawlings Classic. The Cyclones open Saturday play early against Delaware again at 9 a.m. CT and then play tournament-host Virginia at 2:30 p.m. CT.