On Wednesday night, the Norwalk softball team maintained their hopes of winning the conference title by defeating Indianola in a Little Hawkeye doubleheader that was broadcast live on KNIA3. The Warriors, who are ranked second in Class 4A, defeated the Class 5A No. 15 Indians 6-5 in the nightcap after winning the opening game 11-1 in four innings. Maddie Gullion’s scrape infield single, which was followed by a hustled Bailey Birmingham from second base, ended game two.
Carly Brewer, a senior at Norwalk, scored her 13th and 14th victories in the circle this season. In game one, she pitched all four innings, giving up four hits and striking out seven. In game two, she relieved Leah Crick for two innings. Brewer kept the Warriors within one run of Indianola at 5-4 by escaping a bases-loaded, no-out jam in the top of the seventh.
Birmingham was hit by a pitch from Ava Tichy, and Nyah Hulbert singled to start the bottom of the inning. Brewer’s sacrifice fly gave Hulbert the game-tying goal with runners at first and third. Tichy was relieved by Sam Gripp, and Gullion cut out her first pitch to second. Birmingham scored the game-winning run when the ball handcuffed the second baseman on a short hop.
Gullion drove in two of Birmingham’s three goals in the nightcap. Gullion and Brewer both had two hits. Indianola’s bats came alive in the fourth inning, scoring four runs on six hits, after the Warriors had taken a 3-0 lead in the first inning. In the inning, Sully Downey and Tichy both hit doubles that scored runs, and in the fifth, Downey added a sac fly to make it 5-3. In game two, Alexa Guyer, who defeated Norwalk earlier this season with a walk-off homer, went 3-for-4 with two doubles. Downey, Dana Blake, and Tessa Gripp each got two hits.
With four runs in the first and seven in the second, the Warriors controlled the first game. Two of Norwalk’s seven singles were owned by Hulbert. Gullion had two RBI, and Cambry Livingston drove in three runs.
Before a hectic Thursday, Norwalk had improved to 24-3 overall and 13-2 in the Little Hawkeye Conference. At 9:00 a.m. today, the Warriors will wrap up a suspended game against Oskaloosa. At noon, they will travel to Dallas Center-Grimes to play the fourth-ranked Mustangs. In league standings, Norwalk is one game behind DC-G.
Indianola is currently 8-7 in the LHC and 13-12 overall. On Friday night, the Indians will play Pella Christian.
