Ottumwa opened the bottom of the eighth with four consecutive hits, plating the winning run on Dawson Weller’s walk-off RBI single to defeat Norwalk 3-2 in the first round of the Class 4A substate baseball playoffs on Friday night. The extra-inning contest was streamed live on kniakrls.com (KNIA3).
Norwalk took a 2-0 lead in the top of the third, but allowed a pair of costly unearned runs in the bottom of the fourth. The Warriors totaled just four hits off Bulldog ace Tucker Long, who struck out 11 and retired the final eight batters he faced. Norwalk senior pitcher CJ Davis took a three-hitter into the eighth but was saddled with the hard-luck defeat. Ottumwa’s final three hits included a bunt single and two ground balls past the drawn-in infield.
Norwalk finished the season with five straight losses and a 13-19 record, but head coach Chad Wiedmann felt that his team was playing good baseball down the stretch. Wiedmann tells KNIA Sports that the Warriors are better than their final record, citing their competitive play in close losses to Ankeny Centennial, Waukee Northwest and Ottumwa. The Warriors also held their own in three losses to Dallas Center-Grimes.
“We’re in those games, and what I told the players is we just have to figure out how to slam the door and close things out,” Wiedmann said, “or get that one key hit that drives in runs (and) helps us to score a couple more runs so that we can turn those close games… into wins.”
The bottom of Norwalk’s order propelled their two-run third. Senior Mason Vogel started the inning with a single, Rhylee Schmidt drew a walk and freshman Colton Moore’s RBI single made it 1-0. Davis followed with a drive to left that was dropped, allowing another run to score.
Ottumwa’s two-run fourth began with a pair of crucial throwing errors and an RBI infield single off the glove of the first baseman. Davis entered the eighth having retired 11 of the previous 12 batters. He issued two walks, hit one batter and struck out five on the night. Moore batted 2-for-3 from the nine hole.
REGIONAL SOFTBALL BEGINS
The Norwalk softball team opens postseason play tonight, hosting Ballard in a Class 4A regional semifinal at 7:00 p.m. The third-ranked Warriors, who have played only three games in the last two weeks, are 27-7 overall. They received a first-round bye on Thursday, while the 12-19 Bombers shut out Newton 3-0.
Tonight’s game will be streamed live on kniakrls.com (KNIA3), starting with pregame coverage at approximately 6:45. The winner advances to the Region 6 championship game on Tuesday, facing either 12th-ranked Bondurant-Farrar or Pella.