Norwalk and Dallas Center-Grimes split a pair of doubleheaders on Wednesday night as the Warrior baseball and softball teams both won the night cap against the visiting Mustangs. On the softball diamond, Class 4A fifth-ranked Dallas Center-Grimes won game one 4-3 in eight innings and 4A fourth-ranked Norwalk won 5-3 in game two, heard live on the KNIA3 stream. The Mustang baseball team won 5-2 in game one, but the Warriors used a five-run sixth inning to win the night cap 6-4.
Softball:
The Norwalk and DC-G softball teams continued a recent trend by splitting their conference twin bill. Game one was tied 1-1 through five in a pitchers duel between Warrior senior Carly Brewer and Mustang sophomore Tessa Jones. Sophia Bauman’s two-RBI single put DC-G up 3-1 in the top of the sixth, but Norwalk answered right back with the tying runs on a Brewer home run and Hadley Michael’s RBI single. Two innings later, Jones singled home the go-ahead run for DC-G and survived a bases-loaded jam in the bottom of the eighth to preserve the victory. Maddie Gullion went 3-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI to lead Norwalk offensively. Brewer struck out eight Mustangs in defeat.
The Warriors started out fast in game two, building a 5-0 lead after four and handing the Mustangs their first loss of the season. Leah Crick pitched six innings for the win, allowing four hits and holding DC-G scoreless until a three-run fifth. Brewer struck out the side – all looking – in the seventh to earn the save. Norwalk tallied 10 hits off DC-G’s Kale Montag, including two each by Bailey Birmingham, Brewer and Michael. Michael’s two-out, two-run single put the Warriors up 4-0 in the third while Brewer and Birmingham both had RBI doubles.
Baseball:
The Dallas Center-Grimes baseball team used a three-run fourth to take game one 5-2. Rhylee Schmidt led Norwalk, going 2-for-3 with a walk and one RBI. Brady Wilkening added an RBI single. Cole Wardlow took the loss on the mound. He allowed only one earned run in four innings, recording seven strikeouts.
Trailing 4-1 in game two, the Warriors plated five runs in the sixth on four hits and two Mustang errors. Schmidt and Eli Benschoter opened the inning with singles, Ryan Jones hit an RBI double and Wilkening’s two-run single gave Norwalk the lead. Wilkening went 2-for-3 in the game and Benschoter earned the win with 4 ⅔ innings of relief.
Friday at Newton:
The Norwalk baseball team is now 7-8 overall and 6-4 in Little Hawkeye Conference play. The softball team is 13-2 and 8-2, respectively. Both Warrior squads play at Newton on Friday night.