March 29, 2024

Newton diamond teams drop LHC games at Norwalk

NORWALK — It was not the road trip Newton High’s baseball and softball teams expected Friday night. Both the Cardinal teams went into their Little Hawkeye Conference games at Norwalk with the intention of winning the road games.

It was a heartbreaking loss for the Newton softball team. It had rallied to tie the game up late then lost it, 7-6, in eight innings.

The Cardinal baseball team had finally won a game — back-to-back games — this season and was confident going up against the Warriors. Unfortunately, the offense was slow starting Friday night and the Cardinals fell behind 6-0 and lost 9-2.

The Cardinal girls are 5-2 in LHC play. Newton’s baseball team is 1-6 in conference action.

“We competed in the first six innings. We had runners on and again, we just didn’t come up with that big hit,” Newton head baseball coach Dustin Brisel said. “Logan Wolfe was throwing strikes but a bit high and Norwalk hit the ball.”

After scrambling for two runs in the fifth to make it 6-2, Newton left runners on base in the sixth and again in the seventh. Brisel said the Cardinals had a couple of mental mistakes in the bottom of the sixth inning allowing Norwalk to score three more runs.

Norwalk scored three runs in each of the second and third innings to built its 6-0 lead. The Cardinals were retired in order the first three innings and Norwalk’s Tyler Steward’s no-hitter bid was broken up with a base hit by Tyler Stanton in the fourth inning.

With one out in the fifth, Ben Leal singled for Newton and Wolfe drew a walk. Blayden Rhone was safe on a fielder’s choice to load the bases. Cole Cazett and Brennen Dodd had back-to-back RBI base hits.

The other hit of the game for the Cardinals was a single by Trey Vanderlaan.

Wolfe took the pitching loss, going five innings and allowing six runs on seven hits and three walks. He struck out two. Darren Revell pitching one inning and gave up three runs on two hits and two walks with one strikeout.

“We just keep battling and moving forward,” Brisel said. “We have another big week with it ending with our home tournament next Saturday.”

The Cardinal softball team rallied from a 6-1 deficit to tie it with a run in the sixth and four runs in the seventh inning. Newton scored first with a run in the first inning on singles by Bailey Davis and Peyton Maher and a Norwalk error.

In the sixth, with two gone, Taylor Ryan reached safely on a Warrior miscue and Rilee Sylcord singled. Audrey Lucas’ single drove in a run to make it 6-2.

Davis connected for a one-out single to start the seventh-inning rally for the Cardinals. She was at second base with two gone when Emily Valtman hammered out a two-run home run.

Ryan kept it going with a single and scored on a double by Slycord. Lucas reached on an error and the tying run scored.

Newton and Norwalk went to extra innings knotted 6-all. Newton got a runner on in the top of the eighth but couldn’t move her around for a score.

“We need to string our hits together and not leave runs on base,” Newton head softball coach Kristina McNew said. “We got the runs in scoring position, but just needed to push them through.”

With one gone in the bottom of the eighth, Newton pitcher Maher hit Norwalk’s Riley Harris with a pitch. On a two-out fielder’s choice, Newton committed an error which put two runners on base. Maher hit Briley Sodergren with a pitch to load the bases then issued a base-on-balls to Alyx Witt, forcing in the winning run.

Maher was the losing pitcher allowing nine hits, walking three, hitting two bates and striking out eight.

Davis finished with three singles for Newton. Sylcord had a single and a double while Maher, Ryan and Kennedy Leiker each had two singles. Valtman hit the home run and Lucas had a single.

Newton softball (10-6) takes on Class 2A ninth-ranked Pella Christian in a LHC doubleheader at 6 p.m. Monday at Pella Christian. Newton baseball (2-13) plays a LHC doubleheader against Pella Christian starting at 5:30 p.m. Monday at Pella Christian.

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