AMES, Iowa – Iowa State (21-34, 4-14 Big 12) celebrated seniors Erica Miller and Tori Torrescano and broke the school record for home runs and batting average in a season on Sunday in a 12-3 loss to Kansas (34-16, 9-8 Big 12).
The Cyclones’ first three hits of Sunday’s contest were solo home runs off the bats of Maddie Reese, Torrescano and Aly Cappaert, giving the team a record 40 home runs this season. The home run record is one of six single-season team records broken by the 2013 club.
Iowa State’s four hits against KU starter Kelsey Kessler (12-6) maintained the season’s .288 batting average, another team record. Kessler picked up her third win of the weekend against Iowa State, allowing four hits, three runs, one walk and striking out six.
Miller finished her senior campaign hitting .352 with a record 52 RBI and tied with Torrescano for the most walks (29) in a season. For her part, Torrescano hit .298 with a record-tying 14 home runs and 43 RBI. In their careers, Miller and Torrescano have combined to break or tie seven Iowa State single-season and career records.
A two-run single from Chanin Naudin was one of six hits for Kansas in the top of the third off Torrescano, helping the Jayhawks to a 4-0 lead. Maddie Stein and Ashley Newman also had RBI hits in the inning. Torrescano (11-16) exited after the third, responsible for seven KU hits, four runs, three walks and a strikeout.
Iowa State’s first hit of the day was a bomb to left from Reese on a 2-0 offering from Kessler, cutting the Kansas lead to 4-1.
The Jayhawks got back to business in the fourth against reliever Taylor Smith, plating four runs on four hits and a Cyclone error to go up, 8-1. Naudin was again the instigator, sending the first two runs of the inning across with another RBI single.
Torrescano and Cappaert posted back-to-back homers with one out in the bottom of the fourth, the first Cyclone pair to go deep back-to-back this season, to draw the Cyclones within five. Lexi Slater singled through the right side but Kessler coaxed outs from the next two batters to get out of the inning.
Once again, Kansas came up with four runs in an inning, taking the final 12-3 lead in the top of the fifth with on a Cyclone error and a three-run homer from Chaley Brickey.
