The Norwalk baseball and softball teams swept Little Hawkeye Conference doubleheaders against Pella Christian on Monday night, both playing their first home games on the Warriors’ renovated turf fields. Game two of the softball twin bill was heard live on 92.1 KRLS and the KNIA3 stream.
BASEBALL
Monday’s baseball games were both decided by the run rule. Norwalk won 12-2 in five innings, then 16-0 in four. Game one was tied 2-2 after three, but the Warriors pulled away using a three-run fourth inning and a seven-run fifth. Norwalk totaled 12 hits (all singles), led by Colton Moore’s 3-for-4 game and three runs scored. Kenyon Wright and Xavier Bush both went 2-for-3 and combined to score three runs. Rhylee Schmidt singled and drove in a pair. Ashton Hans was the winning pitcher, striking out eight and walking five in 4 ⅔ innings.
The Warriors picked up where they left off in game two, putting together a six-run first and a 10-run second. They finished with three singles, three doubles and three triples at the plate, and got four scoreless innings and seven strikeouts from Owen Siemens on the mound. Hans, Siemens and Aidan Walter each hit a triple while Brady Wilkening, Moore and Schmidt all doubled. Wilkening finished 2-for-2 and was one of six Warriors with two RBI.
Norwalk improved to 5-6 overall and 3-1 in conference play. They will travel to Grinnell for a non-conference road game tonight at 7:00 p.m.
SOFTBALL
The softball games were much more competitive. Norwalk held on to win 6-4 in game one and used a six-run, sixth-inning rally to win 11-6 in game two. Leah Crick pitched all seven innings in the opener, allowing six hits and two earned runs while striking out five. The Warriors overcame five defensive errors and stole six bases – three by Dani Peters and two by Hadley Michael. Molly Harper finished 2-for-3 with a double and Michael, Hailey Hook and Alyssa Downe also doubled for the Warriors.
The night cap featured two ties, two lead changes and a 20-minute “lights out” delay in the fourth inning. Trailing 5-4, Norwalk surged ahead in the bottom of the sixth with six runs on four hits, one error, three walks and two run-scoring wild pitches. Allie Williams ignited the rally with a double over the third-base bag. Peters and Michael hit RBI singles and Harper drew a bases-loaded walk. Peters finished 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs and two RBI. Emma Banks doubled and drove in three runs and Williams went 2-for-3. Rachel Kacmarynski led the Eagles, going 4-for-4 with three steals and two runs scored. Chloe Snyder added an RBI single and two sacrifice flies. Michael earned the win with four innings of relief for Norwalk.
The No. 7 in Class 4A Warriors improved to 6-3 overall and 4-0 in the Little Hawkeye Conference. They will play at top-ranked ADM tonight at 7:15.
