It wasn’t the ending they had dreamed of, perhaps, but the Norwalk softball team made sure to finish an outstanding season on a positive note Tuesday afternoon, defeating Burlington 5-0 in a Class 4A state tournament consolation game streamed live on kniakrls.com.

Bouncing back from an 8-4 loss to Carlisle in Monday’s 4A quarterfinal round, the fourth-seeded Warriors shut out the eighth-seeded Grayhounds behind six innings of two-hit ball from junior Zadie Wadle and two RBI by senior Kady Vandemark at Rogers Sports Complex in Fort Dodge.

Freshman Nyah Hulbert, who went 2-for-2 with a double and a walk, got things going for Norwalk in the first inning with a single and a stolen base, then scored on Lauren Black’s RBI hit to right field. The Warriors added two runs each in the third and the fifth to pull away.

Wadle, who improved to 19-5 in the circle, took care of the rest. She faced the minimum through three innings and finished with four strikeouts and just one walk. Olivia Dougherty pitched a 1-2-3 seventh in relief.

In addition to Hulbert and Black’s two-hit games, Kaylee Cary, Vandemark, Addi Downe, Wadle and Mei Grant all added singles.

Norwalk head coach Beau Livingston tells KNIA Sports that he was very happy with the Warriors’ performance Tuesday, noting that the team talked prior to the game about accomplishing three things: reaching 30 wins for the season, being one of just three teams in Class 4A that will end the season with a win, and honoring seniors Vandemark, Morgan Weeks and Grant in their final game.

“I really thought we did all three,” Livingston said, “and it’s a good feeling for us and the program and all that goes along with it.

“I’m just really proud of these kids. I’m proud of their families. To end (with a win) feels good. (Monday) was a long night, but to come back, to take pride in what we were doing and what today meant for us… just really really happy.”

The Warriors close the 2022 season with a 30-8 overall record, a Little Hawkeye Conference runner-up finish and their first state tournament appearance in eight years.