The Norwalk boys soccer team attempts to capture the program’s fifth state championship today, taking on Iowa City Liberty in the Class 3A title game in Des Moines. The match starts at 4:00 p.m. and can be heard live on 94.3 KNIA as well as kniakrls.com. Pregame coverage begins at approximately 3:45.
The fifth-seeded Warriors are 13-7 overall, reaching the championship round with hard-fought wins of 3-2 vs. Humboldt and 1-0 over top-seeded Des Moines Hoover. Liberty is the No. 6 seed and stands 11-8 overall. The Lightning’s state tourney run includes wins of 4-2 over Dallas Center-Grimes and 2-0 over Marion.
Norwalk earned previous state titles in 2007, 2014, 2015 and 2017.
Baseball/Softball recaps
The Norwalk softball team stayed unbeaten with Friday night’s 2-1 home win over Newton, improving to 5-0 overall and 3-0 in Little Hawkeye Conference play. The Warrior baseball team also hosted the Cardinals and lost 6-2 in nine innings. The baseball game was streamed live on kniakrls.com (KNIA3).
Norwalk, which moved up to third in the latest Class 4A softball rankings, answered Newton’s single tally in the top of the fourth by scoring twice in the bottom of the inning. Jada Livingston drew a bases-loaded walk to drive in one run and Zadie Wadle’s sacrifice fly proved to be the game-winning RBI. Lauren Black and Addi Downe both doubled for the Warriors, who mustered only four hits off Cardinal pitcher Hailey Sumpter. Wadle and Olivia Dougherty combined to pitch a four-hitter for Norwalk, striking out 12.
The Norwalk baseball team lost a frustrating battle with Newton, rallying late to force extra innings, then allowing four runs in the top of the ninth and falling 6-2. The Cardinals had already scored three times before getting their first hit of the ninth, which started with a walk and a third-strike wild pitch and also included a two-run outfield error.
Norwalk’s Aidan Harder and Newton’s Kacey Summers both pitched well, with Summers going seven innings in his first start of the season. The Cardinals took a 2-0 lead in the fourth by virtue of just one hit. The Warriors finally scored in the sixth on Caleb Ochanpaugh’s RBI ground out and tied the score in the seventh when Aidan Kane’s ground ball went between the legs of the second baseman. Norwalk had chances to win in the seventh and eighth, but stranded a pair of runners in each inning.
CJ Davis went 3-for-5 with a run scored to lead the Warriors and DJ Harris was 2-for-4 with a double. Josh Pins took the hard-luck pitching loss in relief of Harder. Norwalk finishes the week at 3-7 overall and 1-2 in league play, and will host Indianola for a varsity doubleheader Monday at 5:30.