In a Little Hawkeye Conference rubber match that more than lived up to the hype, Dallas Center-Grimes scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh to rally past the Norwalk softball team, 9-8, Monday night in a game broadcast by FM 94.3 KNIA.
The Class 4A fourth-ranked Warriors led 4-0 early, trailed 6-5 after four, then fought back to tie the game in the sixth and take an 8-6 lead on Nyah Hulbert’s two-run single in the top of the seventh.
But the sixth-ranked (4A) Mustangs proved hard to put away, plating three runs on five singles in the home half of the seventh to win in walk-off fashion. Senior Elle Nelsen’s fourth hit of the night drove in the tying and winning runs with the bases loaded and two out, moving DC-G into sole possession of first place in the Little Hawkeye standings.
The Mustangs are now 26-6 overall and 17-1 in conference play with three league games remaining. Norwalk, which split a home doubleheader with DC-G back on June 10, dropped to 24-5 overall and 17-2 in the Little Hawkeye.
Freshman leadoff batter Nyah Hulbert had an incredible night at the plate for the Warriors and was a triple shy of hitting for the cycle. She finished 4-for-5 with five RBI, including a three-run homer in the second inning and a double in the fourth. Jaylynn Brandt went 2-for-5 with a double, Lauren Black hit a pair of RBI singles and Addi Downe had two hits as well.
Nelsen led DC-G with four hits and three RBI while number six batter Macee Reiling came up big with two doubles, a single and three runs batted in.
Standout pitchers Zadie Wadle of Norwalk and Aubrey Johansen of DC-G both struck out 12 batters and allowed 12 hits in battling in and out of trouble against two potent lineups. Johansen, now 13-2, was hurt by four errors behind her and surrendered just three earned runs. Wadle, now 15-3, allowed eight earned runs, walking three batters and hitting one.
The Warriors will continue to face some of the top teams in Class 4A when they host 2nd-ranked Winterset tonight and face No. 7 Indianola Wednesday in a 5:30 p.m. varsity doubleheader (at Norwalk) that will air live on KNIA-KRLS.com (KNIA3).
The Norwalk baseball team also lost at Dallas Center-Grimes Monday by a final score of 5-1. The Mustangs scored four runs in the fifth, improving to 16-14 overall and 12-6 in the Little Hawkeye Conference.
CJ Davis went 2-for-2 with an RBI to lead Norwalk, which fell to 15-16 overall and 8-11 in conference play. The Warriors play at Southeast Polk tonight and host Indianola Wednesday for a varsity doubleheader at 5:30 p.m. Both games will be broadcast on FM 94.3 KNIA.