The Norwalk softball team handled their business and left no doubt on Saturday night, defeating Keokuk 10-0 in five innings in a Class 4A regional semifinal streamed live on KNIA3.

Junior Lauren Black belted a two-run homer as part of a four-run first inning, Norwalk led 7-0 after two, and Zadie Wadle and Olivia Dougherty pitched a combined no-hitter. The 4th-ranked Warriors improved to 30-9 on the season and will now face No. 12 Burlington in Tuesday night’s Region 6 final in Norwalk. Keokuk finished 5-24.

Warriors coach Beau Livingston tells KNIA-KRLS Sports that the challenge for his team Saturday was coming out focused and ready to play, and he was pleased to see that question answered quickly in the first inning.

“I’m just proud of [the girls] just taking care of business. It didn’t have to be anything special tonight,” he said. “We got both of our pitchers innings, we got quite a few kids at-bats, so everybody should be fresh and looking forward to Tuesday.”

Wadle, now 18-5 on the season, pitched three perfect innings and struck out seven of the nine batters she faced. Dougherty added two strikeouts in two innings of relief. Both Norwalk pitchers worked ahead in the count, then used their movement pitches to overwhelm the Chiefs’ young lineup.

Offensively, the Warriors’ top four spots in the batting order combined for 10 hits, eight runs scored and six RBI. Nyah Hulbert. Maddie Gullion and Black all had three-hit games, including a double and triple for Hulbert, a double by Gullion and Black’s ninth home run of the year. Jaylynn Brandt singled, walked twice and scored three runs.

Burlington survived a late rally by Knoxville to win 3-2 on Saturday, improving to 20-8 overall. The Grayhounds defeated the Warriors 2-0 at the Cedar Rapids Xavier Classic on June 10. Tuesday’s rematch starts at 7:00 p.m. and can be heard live on kniakrls.com (KNIA3).