April 18, 2024

Defensive miscues costly for Cardinal softball at Norwalk

By Jocelyn Sheets

Peyton Maher threw a four-hitter against Class 4A No. 7 Norwalk Wednesday in Little Hawkeye Conference play, but Newton High’s Cardinals lost 3-1. Maher, an eighth-grader, is 4-4 in the pitching circle this season for Newton (7-7). (Jocelyn Sheets)

NORWALK — Newton High softball head coach Kristina McNew has been stressing the mental aspect of the game with the youthful Cardinals this season. McNew said her players don’t give up and they want to win, but closing and finishing out a game have been a bit rough.

Case in point — Wednesday’s Little Hawkeye Conference game on the road against Class 4A seventh-ranked Norwalk. The Cardinals battled back to tie the game at 1-1 in the fifth inning, but let things slip away with three defensive miscues in the sixth inning.

Norwalk’s Warriors took full advantage of the three errors to score two runs. The Warriors defeated the Cardinals, 3-1.

“We are still playing good softball, but we continue to need to manufacture runs,” McNew said. “Peyton Maher had one of her strongest pitching performances of the season.”

Norwalk scored the first run of the game in the fourth on back-to-back singles. Newton used two of its three hits of the game in the fifth to tie the game.

With two gone, junior Kari Adams doubled and freshman Kennedy Leiker chased Adams home on a single. The other hit in the game for Newton was a single by freshman Taylor Ryan.

“We’re building as a team. We have good team chemistry,” said Fran Lucas, junior second baseman. “We’re getting strong as we go. The younger players are adjusting to the varsity game.”

Lucas said pitching is proving to be a strength of the team. She said eighth-grade starters Peyton Maher and Anna Coyle, who is injured right now, have done well.

Maher was the losing pitcher at Norwalk, but limited the Warriors to four hits and walked one batter. Maher, (4-4) struck out eight.

Newton hosts Ames (3-11) in a varsity doubleheader Thursday at Berg Middle School. The first game is at 6 p.m.

The Cardinals step back into Little Hawkeye Conference play Friday at home against Class 2A second-ranked Pella Christian. The varsity game is at 7:30 p.m. at Berg Middle School.

Contact Jocelyn Sheets at
641-792-3121 ext. 6535 or jsheets@newtondailynews.com