SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Seniors Erica Miller and Tori Torrescano each homered on Saturday as the Cyclones (6-3, 0-0 Big 12) defeated Boise State (3-5, 0-0 Mountain West), 9-4, on the final day of the UTSA Classic. Iowa State lost to Missouri State (3-5, 0-0 MVC), 6-8, earlier in the day.
Miller’s shot on Saturday briefly tied her with Torrescano for the Iowa State career homerun record before Torrescano retook the top spot with her 29th career dinger in the top of the seventh against Boise State.
The event of long balls from each player follows a pattern the two have created over the last three-plus seasons in which the California natives feed off each other, often hitting doubles and homeruns in the same or back-to-back games.
Against the Broncos, Miller went 4-for-4 with three RBI and three runs scored. On the weekend, she hit .538 seven RBI, bringing her season average to a team-best .481 and totaling 11-RBI, tied for most on the team.
Torrescano finished the tournament with four RBI and is hitting .292 on the year.
Missouri State struck in the top of the first, scoring six runs, highlighted by a two-run homerun to center off the bat of reigning MVC Player of the Week, Stevie Pierce and a two-run bloop double from Lauren Eisenreich.
An illegal pitch from Chelsea Jones plated Sarah Hawryluk from third for the Cyclones’ first run of the game in the bottom of the first and the teams went into the second with Missouri State leading, 6-1.
An error by the Cyclones and a sac fly tacked two more runs onto Missouri State’s lead in the fifth, leaving Iowa State trailing, 1-8.
Aly Cappaert led off the Cyclone fifth with a walk and was replaced on the basepaths by pinch runner Alex Tinaglia, who advanced to third on a double to right by Jorden Spendlove, putting runners in scoring position with no outs. Sara Davison grounded out to second, scoring Tinaglia and sending Spendlove to third for Maddie Reese, who singled to right, making the score 3-8.
Iowa State’s first two batters reached in the final inning, Sara Davison collecting her second hit of the game on a single to right center and Reese following with a walk. Hawryluk singled to load the bases for pinch hitter Liana Henry, who singled to make the score, 4-8 in favor of Missouri State. Miller plated another run with a single and advanced to third as Missouri State ran down Hawryluk between third and home for the first out.
Torrescano stepped to the plate with runners at second and third and grounded back to the pitcher, scoring Iowa State’s final run of the contest.
Torrescano (3-1) took her first loss of the season, allowing eight runs, five earned, on 13 hits and a walk. The senior struck out three.
Jones (3-2) posted her, and the team’s, third win of the year while giving up six runs on 10 Cyclone hits. Jones walked two and struck out three.
Switching things up in game two against Boise State, Amber Ewert walked from the second spot in the order and Miller singled down the left field line to put runners on first and second with one out. After a Torrescano strikeout, Cappaert walked to load the bases and Spendlove doubled to drive in Iowa State’s first two runs of the game.
Getting her second start of the season, Taylor Smith got through a scoreless first and had a strikeout to end the second but threw an illegal pitch, giving the batter another shot and bringing home Mackenzie Whyte from third. She struck out the batter on the following pitch to end the inning.
Makenna Weir tied the game, 2-2, in the bottom of the third with a single to left center and runners were on second and third with one out until Boise State’s Devon Bridges hit into a double play to end the threat.
A double and a single by the Broncos to lead off the fourth chased Smith, who was relieved by Torrescano. On her first pitch of the game, the Cyclones erased one runner on a caught-stealing and Torrescano worked groundouts from each of the last two batters, getting Iowa State out of the jam without allowing a run.
Miller smashed a homerun to start the Iowa State fifth, to put the Cyclones up, 3-2, briefly before Boise State came back to tie and take the 4-3 lead in the bottom of the frame.
Needing a run to stay alive in the game, Iowa State loaded the bases with one out in the seventh and Hawryluk drove in the tying run with an infield single off the pitcher’s glove. The Broncos threw out Reese going home on a fielder’s choice and the bases remained full with two outs and Miller at the plate.
Exercising patience, Miller worked a full count and doubled to deep right field, driving home two more runs for the 6-4 lead and Torrescano stepped in for a three-run shot to right center.
The senior duo’s late-game heroics secured a no-decision for Smith and helped Torrescano (4-1) to another win on the year. Torrescano finished with four innings pitched, giving up three hits, two runs, one earned. She walked none and struck out two.
Boise State starter Kenzie Cole (1-2) suffered the loss, going six and two-thirds innings, giving up 13 hits, nine runs, walking five and fanning two.
Next up for the Cyclones is the Carolina Classic in Chapel Hill, N.C. Feb. 23-24. Iowa State will start the weekend tournament off against George Washington at 8:30 a.m. CST on Friday Feb. 23.
