Iowa
Ford’s walk-off slam lifts Cyclones in must-win thriller
AMES — In a must-win scenario, Iowa State prevailed, battling back and forth with the No. 22 UCF Knights. The Cyclones are sitting in ninth place in the Big 12 standings, right behind Utah.
Iowa State fell behind 4-0 but scored four in the bottom of the fourth, then took the lead in the fifth, scoring four more. A blown seventh-inning lead led to another chaotic fight to the finish, with the Cyclones coming out on top 13-9.
“Really proud of the grit, really proud of the way they came back,” head coach Jamie Pinkerton said.
In the fourth inning, as the Cyclones were getting no-hits up to that point, sophomore catcher Karlee Ford had a change of plans. On a 1-0 count, she roped a solo homer over the left-field wall to start a rally.
“I always have the same mentality of just putting the ball in play,” Ford said.
Iowa State then scratched across three straight base hits, scoring one in the process, before senior center fielder Tatum Johnson came to the plate. She wouldn’t disappoint, connecting with the first pitch and tripling to left field, tying the game at four.
The fifth inning was more of the same for the Cyclones. Ford came up to the plate with one out and drew her second walk of the game, bringing up senior leader Sydney Malott. Malott had seven hits in 19 at-bats over her last six games, after a 3-for-29 stretch dating back to April 5.
“I automatically knew Syd [Malott] was going to hit me around,” Ford said.
Malott came through, crushing a two-run home run off the top of the scoreboard in left field, her third homer in her recent stretch.
“It’s definitely ups and downs, and you have to keep a steady mind,” Malott said. “Just trying to do whatever I can for my team.”
Two more runners would score after sophomore left fielder Jessie Clemons drove them in with a single down the left-field line.
When it looked like the game would be over in the seventh inning, with the Cyclones up 8-4, the Knights had other plans.
Junior right-handed pitcher Lauren Schurman came out to the circle to start the seventh, having not allowed a run since the fourth inning after relieving freshman right-handed pitcher Liv Palumbo.
Pinkerton made a defensive change, moving senior Tiana Poole to right field to replace sophomore Hayleigh Oliver.
This decision proved costly as, on the first batted ball of the inning, a deep fly ball to right field was misjudged, resulting in a triple.
This started a rally for UCF, as it reached base in six consecutive at-bats on four singles, one walk and one hit batter, scoring four runs to tie the game at 8-8.
Senior right-handed pitcher Jaiden Ralston came in to relieve Schurman and faced three batters but allowed the go-ahead run to score on a sacrifice fly, giving the Knights a 9-8 lead heading into the bottom half of the inning.
UCF brought in redshirt sophomore ace right-handed pitcher Isabella Vega, who previously threw a complete game and struck out eight Cyclones in game one.
After junior pinch hitter Isabelle Nosan recorded the first out of the inning, senior third baseman McKenna Andrews drew a nine-pitch walk. She was out at second on a Clemons fielder’s choice for the second out.
Johnson and senior shortstop Reagan Bartholomew then drew full-count walks, bringing up sophomore second baseman Kadence Shepherd.
Shepherd roped the third pitch of her at-bat through the left side, tying the game at 9-9.
That brought up Ford, who was 1-for-2 with two walks, including her solo homer that broke up the no-hitter in the fourth inning.
On a 2-2 count, Ford didn’t miss, crushing a grand slam over the right-center wall.
“Karlee Ford’s been clutch all year,” Pinkerton said. “Huge hit.”
For Malott, the moment reflected the team’s mindset throughout the game.
“We just kept fighting the whole game,” Malott said. “No one ever thought we were out of it.”
The win pushed Iowa State’s conference record to 9-14. Utah sits at 9-13-1 after its win against Arizona.
For the Cyclones to make the tournament, they need to win the season finale against UCF and have Utah lose its finale against Arizona.
Coming off a great campaign, the Iowa State Cyclones will be a different-looking team on the hardwood next year. Unfortunately, a lot of key players for the team last season will no longer be around.
After a successful trip to the Sweet 16, the Cyclones will be entering next season with a mostly new group. Due to players like Joshua Jefferson, Nate Heise, and Tamin Lipsey all graduating, the team was always going to have a different look.
While it appears likely that both Lipsey and Jefferson are going to be drafted into the NBA, it goes to show the level of talent that Iowa State is losing. These two players were arguably the two best on the team last year, and replacing that level of production will not be an easy task.
Since both of those players were seniors, the program knew that they would be playing elsewhere. However, the decision by Milan Momcilovic, who was their third star to enter the NBA Draft and transfer portal, likely wasn’t something the team expected before his breakout campaign.
However, due to his success last year, Momcilovic testing the waters of the NBA and entering the portal made a lot of sense for the talented sharpshooter. Eventually, he made the decision to join the Kentucky Wildcats, and losing him will be a big blow for the Cyclones.
Iowa State Will Miss Star Potential of Milan
Even though the Cyclones were able to bring in a lot of good players in the transfer portal, figuring out who the star of the team is going to be next year might be a bit tricky. If Milan were to have returned following one of the best shooting years in the history of college basketball, it would have undoubtedly been him as the featured player of the team.
Now, since Momcilovic is gone, Iowa State is going to need some of their returning players and their new additions to step up. While having quality depth is important, the Cyclones were a team that had arguably three of the top 50 players in college basketball last season.
With their three best players gone, it will be interesting to see who steps up and becomes the top players for Iowa State. Of the transfers, it could be JaQuan Johnson who looks to step up into that role. He is coming off a really strong year with Bradley and very well could be the top-scoring option for the team.
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Watch as Gov. Kim Reynolds reveals Iowa Office of Outdoor Recreation
Gov. Kim Reynolds signs an executive order June 8 creating an Iowa Office of Outdoor Recreation within the Iowa Economic Development Authority.
Iowa’s director of Health and Human Services has resigned after the Iowa Senate blocked his confirmation in April, but he will stay in leadership as deputy director.
Larry Johnson was appointed to succeed Iowa Department of Health and Human Services Director Kelly Garcia in September 2025. Johnson took over the department in October.
Johnson’s confirmation in April, however, was blocked by Iowa Senate Democrats. Johnson received the support of 28 senators, six votes short of the 34 needed.
“Hundreds of thousands of Iowans rely on the Department of Health & Human Services, but under Mr. Johnson’s leadership, those Iowans have been met with diminished care and services and a disrespectful lack of transparency and communication,” Iowa Senate Democratic Leader Janice Weiner said in a statement at the time of Johnson’s confirmation block. “Senate Democrats believe Iowans deserve more responsible leadership for such an important executive department.”
Under state law, 60 days after the Iowa Senate disapproves a person’s appointment, the nominee must step down. Johnson’s resignation came June 19, 58 days after his confirmation was blocked.
In a news release Friday, Gov. Kim Reynolds appointed Kraig Paulsen, the director of the Iowa Department of Management, to also serve as the director of Iowa Health and Human Services.
“This is not the first time I’ve called upon Director Paulsen to help lead executive branch departments during times of transition,” Reynolds said in a statement. “His experience across state government is unmatched, and I have full confidence in his ability to ensure our state’s largest agency has the leadership team required, not only to serve Iowans most in need of assistance, but also to advance strategic initiatives such as rural health transformation, cancer research, and child welfare technology improvements.”
Paulsen named Johnson as principal deputy director of the department to “ensure efficient and effective operations,” according to the release.
“Iowa HHS requires strong and experienced leadership at every level to ensure continuity of critical services such as Medicaid, SNAP, and child protection, and Larry Johnson is exactly that leader,” Paulsen said in the release. “I look forward to working closely with Principal Deputy Director Johnson to ensure Iowa’s strong commitment to our most vulnerable citizens continues as usual.”
Weiner, in a statement issued June 19, said Reynolds “has decided to blatantly disregard and circumvent the Senate in re-establishing Larry Johnson as the de facto head” of Health and Human Services.“This is partisan politics of the worst kind,” Weiner said in the statement. “Under Larry Johnson, the hundreds of thousands of Iowans who rely on HHS for critical services have received a diminished standard of care, a disrespectful lack of responsiveness, and a department more concerned with fealty to the governor than transparency to the public. And yet, this governor simply cannot handle a world in which she doesn’t get her way, so she has invented a title that allows Johnson to resume his work.”
Weiner said the decision to not confirm John was “not made lightly,” and “We did what was right for Iowans.”
“Our goal has been and remains to work within the bounds of the Senate for the benefit of all Iowans,” Weiner said. “Unfortunately, Gov. Reynolds would rather play politics than give Iowans the respect of a more diligent search for a qualified candidate.”
Kyle Werner is the breaking news and public safety reporter for the Register. Reach him at kwerner@registermedia.com.
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