The Norwalk softball team plated six runs in their final at-bat and capped the regular season with an impressive doubleheader sweep at Waukee Northwest, winning 3-0 and 10-5 on Wednesday night. The Class 4A 5th-ranked Warriors will take a 29-9 record into postseason play while the 5A 2nd-ranked Wolves are now 29-11.
Also on Wednesday, the Norwalk baseball team nearly knocked off Class 3A 5th-ranked ADM before falling 2-1. The Warriors finished regular-season play at 11-20 and the Tigers improved to 23-8.
Softball sweep
Norwalk senior softball pitcher Zadie Wadle shut out Waukee Northwest on five hits in game one, striking out nine against zero walks. Addi Downe, who had six hits on the night, went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI. Kaylee Cary doubled and drove in one.
Game two featured three big innings. The Warriors took a 4-0 lead in the top of the second, the Wolves countered with five runs in the third and Norwalk landed the final blow with six in the seventh. The inning began with a Nyah Hulbert double off the fence and featured a two-run single by Downe and a two-run double by Jada Livingston.
The Warriors finished with 15 hits, led by Downe’s 4-for-4 game. Cary went 2-for-2 with two runs scored, Livingston and Hulbert both went 2-for-4 with a double and combined for five RBI, and Bailey Birmingham added a pair of singles. Olivia Dougherty pitched all seven innings for the win, allowing six hits and four earned runs.
Baseball falls 2-1
In a baseball game that saw nine pitchers take the mound, ADM scored both of its runs in the first inning and barely held off Norwalk 2-1. With two outs in the top of the seventh, Dawson King drew a walk and Josh Pins reached on an error for the Warriors, but the game ended on a fine defensive play as the Tigers hauled in Cole Wardlow’s shot to right field.
Norwalk tallied just three hits. DJ Harris doubled and scored in the fourth, Aidan Harder had an RBI single and King also hit safely. Four Warrior hurlers all kept their pitch count below 25 in a final tune up for postseason play. Briley Purcell took the loss while Harder, CJ Davis and Harris combined for five scoreless innings of one-hit ball.
Postseason openers
The Warrior baseball team will open Class 4A Substate play on Friday with a 7:00 p.m. first round game at Ankeny. The Warrior softball team receives a first round bye today and will host Mount Pleasant or Keokuk in a 4A regional semifinal Saturday night at 7:00. Both games can be heard live on the KNIA3 stream.