-Messenger photo by Britt Kudla Sydney Skarich of North Scott makes a diving save against Norwalk during 4A semi-finals on Wednesday at Rogers Park in Fort Dodge

The North Scott softball team couldn’t care less about conventional wisdom.

To the Lancers, their No. 8 seed in the Class 4A bracket is nothing but a number. An improbable run to the state championship round has head coach Holly Hoelting’s squad believing anything is possible.

North Scott rallied from an early deficit and held off Norwalk at Rogers Park on Wednesday by a final of 6-4 on Iowa Central Field. Maddy McDermott homered, McKinley Toohey, Adalynn Johnson and McDermott drove in two runs each, and McDermott did the rest from the pitcher’s circle as the Lancers (28-11 overall) are in line to potentially capture the program’s first title since 2002.

“I don’t think the kids have given much thought to (the circumstances) or (the rarity of being in the finals as an eight seed),” Hoelting said. “All they’re focused on is getting the job done and moving on to (the next round).

“We don’t worry about what anyone else thinks, or what our chances look like on paper. This is a ‘we’ team. They care about each other and play for each other.”

The Warriors (31-10) plated four runs in the second to flip a 2-0 deficit into a 4-2 advantage. North Scott answered with three runs in the fourth, though, and the Lancers hung on from there.

“We came here with a nothing-to-lose mentality,” said Johnson, just a freshman. “We just keep finding a way, and we truly believe we can accomplish anything when we work together and put our minds to it.

“This is an amazing feeling. I can’t even describe it.”

Sydney Skarich and Johnson recorded two hits a piece. Johnson had a double and a triple.

McDermott (17-7) tossed five shutout innings to close the door. She didn’t walk a batter and struck out three.

Jaylynn Brandt and Maddie Gullion both had two hits for Norwalk.

North Scott will now square off with No. 7 seed Winterset, the defending 4A champion, at 7:30 p.m. Thursday on Kruger Seeds Field.

The Warriors take on Fort Dodge for third place at 6 p.m. on Iowa Central Field.

NORTH SCOTT 6, NORWALK 4

North Scott 200 300 1 — 6 10 3

Norwalk 040 000 0 — 4 8 3

WP–Maddy McDermott (17-7; 7 IP, 8 H, 4 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 3 K); LP–Zadie Wadle (3 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 2 BB, 1 K). 2B–NS: Adalynn Johnson; N: Kaylee Cary. 3B–NS: Adalynn Johnson. HR–NS: McDermott.