Houston starting pitcher Nevaeh Brown (18) huddles with teammates during an NCAA softball game against Texas Tech Saturday, March 7, 2026 in Houston. | Oscar Herrera/The Cougar
Cougar softball (17-17, 1-8 Big 12) traveled to the Cyclone Sports Complex to compete in a three-game series against the Iowa State Cyclones (19-10, 3-3 Big 12). Despite the milestones achieved over the weekend, Houston went home with a disappointing 0-3 record against the Cyclones.
The first Houston heartbreaker
During the series opener, the scoreboard remained empty until the bottom of the third inning. When Iowa State’s Tatum Johnson homered to center field allowing McKenna Andrews to score, Houston responded in the top of the fourth as junior Mackenna Mitchell hit a home run to deep center field.
The homer marked Houston’s 50th of the season throughout 32 games, surpassing the previous mark of 43 games set in 2011. Mitchell also tied Maddie Hartley for the team lead in home runs, with both players sitting at 13.
In the bottom of the fifth, Iowa State added another run when Johnson delivered a sacrifice fly which brought Andrews home. Although the Cougars limited the Cyclones to one run in the fifth inning, they were unable to close the gap and came up empty in the sixth.
The Cyclones shattered the hearts of Cougar fans during the bottom of the sixth, which started with Ireland Buss scoring off a homer from teammate Kasey Kane, bringing Iowa State to a 5-1 lead.
This momentum-shifting play was quickly followed by Andrews hitting a homer, creating a lane home for teammate Tiana Poole. Iowa State secured a 9-1 win over Houston after Jessie Clemons scored on a wild pitch, and Johnson ran home after an RBI from Karlee Ford.
Cougars fall short in second game of bittersweet series
Game two began on March 21 with Houston looking to even the series after the previous night’s loss. Despite strong offensive efforts and multiple career milestones, the Cougars fell 9-7.
Four Houston players reached career marks, highlighted by senior Mandy Esman, who recorded two doubles to reach 100 career hits, having 67 of those at Houston.
Houston opened the game strong, building a 4-0 lead in the first inning. Hartley scored from third on an RBI by sophomore Madox Mitchael after Ariel Redmond and Mitchell reached base on walks.
Three runs were awarded to Houston after Mitchell, Redmond and Mitchael scored from their respective bases off RBI’s from Kylei Griffin, Isabel Cintron and Esman. Going into the bottom of the first, the Cougars already held an impressive advantage, which proved to be a test for Iowa State’s strength.
Iowa State responded when Johnson hit a home run, driving in teammate Sydney Malott. The inning ended with Iowa State’s Kadence Shepard striking out. Houston extended its lead in the second inning when Mitchell scored on a double by Mitchael.
Houston held Iowa State to three runs until the bottom of the fourth, when Iowa State’s Tiana Poole ran home from third on a single hit from Johnson. This was after the Cougars put up two more runs during the top of the third. Houston held a 7-4 lead until the bottom of the fifth.
Reagan Bartholomew, Malott and Ford scored, allowing the Cyclones to take the lead for the first time since the match began.
Their final run was achieved during the bottom of the sixth when Ford homered deep to left field. Houston was unable to regain control and ended the match with two fewer runs than Iowa State, leaving the field with a final score of 9-7.
Houston concludes Big 12 road series with Cyclones
The series was concluded on March 22, with Iowa State already securing two wins throughout the weekend. Houston fought to make a comeback but was unfortunately outlasted by the Cyclones, 8-7, in a nail-biting finale that remained tight throughout.
Houston put up two runs during their first batting sequence, coming from Mitchael and Hartley. The Cyclones were able to take the lead after Malott homered to deep center, which created a lane home for Johnson and Bartholomew.
Houston responded immediately by taking the lead through runs scored by Leilani Garcia, Savanna Luther and Mitchell. The Cougars held a three-run advantage over Iowa State at the bottom of the fourth, but the Cyclones closed the gap when Buss, Andrews and Johnson all scored.
The leveled scoreboard meant that each team had an equal opportunity to secure the win.
Iowa State briefly took the lead in the fifth inning after Malott scored, but Houston tied the game again when Hartley hit a home run in the top of the sixth. Malott scored again in the bottom of the seventh, signaling the end of the weekend series with Iowa State sweeping Houston 3-0.
What’s next?
The Cougar softball will face off against Lamar University (17-15, 5-4 SLC) as their visiting opponent on March 24 before returning home to host a three-game series against #25 UCF (24-10, 3-6 Big 12) during the upcoming weekend.
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