In a battle of highly-ranked Class 4A softball teams, No. 5 Norwalk and No. 6 Dallas Center-Grimes split a Little Hawkeye Conference doubleheader Friday night in Norwalk.
The host Warriors prevailed 1-0 in the opener behind Zadie Wadle’s two-hit shutout, while the Fillies rallied late and won the night cap in eight innings, 4-2, in a game broadcast live on KNIA-KRLS.com.
Wadle outdueled DC-G’s Camila Rodriguez in game one, striking out six and taking a no-hitter into the sixth inning, when she also escaped a bases-loaded jam to keep the game scoreless. Norwalk senior Kady Vandemark came up big in the bottom of the sixth, ripping a two-out RBI double to the right-center field fence to plate the game-winning run.
The Warriors led game two 1-0 until the top of the sixth, when Elle Nelsen’s RBI double drove in DC-G pinch-runner Grace Johnson from first to tie the score. Then in the top of the eighth, the Fillies put together a two-out rally and surged ahead on Reese Burke’s bases-clearing double to deep right field.
Norwalk got a leadoff single from Nyah Hulbert and a sacrifice fly from Lauren Black in the bottom of the eighth before DC-G’s Aubrey Johansen (6-2) finished off a four-hit performance in the circle.
Wadle took the game-two loss in relief of starter Addi Downe, who faced the minimum through four and allowed just one run in 5 ⅓ innings. Norwalk head coach Beau Livingston said that Wadle and Downe both did their job and pitched winning softball on the night. He was pleased with Vandemark’s clutch hit in game one but thought his squad missed some chances to take control of game two and get the sweep.
“We were fortunate Kady Vandemark came through big with the pinch-hit in the first game to win it,” Livingston said. “It just felt like we had several opportunities in the second game to kind of put it away. I don’t know if we got complacent… or I guess tip your cap to DC-G. They made the plays and then held us there… and then came through with the big hit in the eighth inning to clear the bases and kind of put us away.”
The game two loss snapped Norwalk’s impressive winning streak at 10 games and leaves the Warriors (11-2, 8-1) tied for first place in the loss column with Indianola and DC-G (11-5, 6-1) in the Little Hawkeye standings. All three teams have one just conference defeat.
Norwalk and Dallas Center-Grimes also played a varsity baseball doubleheader Friday night, with the visiting Mustangs sweeping the Warriors 6-2 and 1-0. Norwalk dropped to 12-8 overall and 4-5 in the Little Hawkeye Conference.DC-G improved to 7-9 and 5-3, respectively.
Both Norwalk squads will have the weekend off before returning to action Monday night at Indianola.