Season-high run total leads Newton softball past Pleasantville

PLEASANTVILLE — Leileigh Hammons hit her second dinger of the season, had three hits at the plate and struck out a career-high 12 batters in the circle on Wednesday.

The Newton softball team led 5-2 after six innings but plated 14 in the seventh and downed Pleasantville, 19-2, during a non-conference road game.

Chloe Swank also had three hits, Sloan Brodersen drove in four runs and the Cardinals’ season-high 19 runs were the most by the program since at least 2008-09.

Newton, which defeated Pleasantville 13-3 last year, out-hit the Trojans 11-4 and the hosts committed four errors.

Hammons added two runs and three RBIs to her homer and three hits and Swank doubled, scored three runs and registered her team-best 13th RBI.

Brodersen had two hits, doubled, scored three runs, tallied four RBIs and walked twice, Mack Sims tripled, scored two runs, had one RBI and walked once and Viana Vasseau doubled, walked twice and totaled one RBI.

Sims leads the team with a .463 batting average and has a team-best 18 runs and 35 total bases.

Emerson Ray finished with one hit, one run, one RBI and one steal, Paige Benson walked twice, scored two runs and had one RBI and was hit by a pitch and Makenzly Brant walked once and posted two RBIs.

BrookLynn Britton was hit by one pitch, scored one run and registered one RBI, Ashlyn Wallace scored three runs and Haleigh Bozarth came around to scored twice.

Hammons (6-5) earned the pitching win after surrendering two runs — one earned — on four hits in seven innings. She fanned a career-high 12.

Lillian Mason led Pleasantville (8-5) with one hit and two RBIs and Kally Wysong and Harper McGraw totaled one hit, one run and one walk.

Norwalk 11, Newton 1

Ray broke up Norwalk’s no-hit bid with an RBI single in the bottom of the seventh, but the Class 4A No. 4 Warriors were too much for the Cardinals on Friday.

Norwalk scored first, clubbed three homers and downed Newton, 11-1, during Little Hawkeye Conference action at H.A. Lynn Softball Field.

“The score doesn’t show how we really played,” Newton head softball coach Kory Leiker said. “I thought the energy was good throughout the game, and it was nice to finish strong.”

The Cardinals, who lost to Norwalk for the eighth straight time, were out-hit 14-1 and both teams committed one error.

Ray had the team’s only hit, Benson walked twice and Ava Williams was hit by a pitch in her season debut. Wallace scored Newton’s run on Ray’s single in the seventh.

Hammons took the pitching loss after allowing 10 earned runs on 16 hits and six walks. She struck out five in seven innings.

“(Ray broke up the no-hitter and got the RBI to break up the shutout,” Leiker said. “We look for the positives. We’ll build on our performance tonight.”

Carly Brewer totaled four hits, one homer and four RBIs at the plate and fanned seven in four innings in the circle to lead Norwalk.

Bailey Birmingham homered and had three RBIs and Nyah Hulbert homered and walked four times.

The Warriors (14-2, 9-2) had five extra-base hits and walked six times. The Cardinals fell to 6-10 and 2-8 in the LHC.

“Leileigh pitched really well in the circle,” Leiker said. “Norwalk is a very well coached and hitting team and they got big hits with runners on base.”