Relaxed and in control from the opening pitch, top-ranked Carlisle sailed through the Class 4A quarterfinals Monday afternoon at the Rogers Sports Complex and inched closer to a potential second straight state championship.

Utilizing small ball to near perfection, the Wildcats (19-3) plated two runs in the first inning and three more in the second en route to a 5-0 victory over unranked Le Mars on Kruger Field. It set up a semifinal date with fifth-ranked North Scott Wednesday afternoon on Veterans’ Diamond.

North Scott (17-9) trucked seventh-ranked Charles City, 11-0 in 5 innings, in the quarterfinals on Monday.

Carlisle Hall of Fame head coach Jim Flaws, the winner of five state titles in 35 seasons with the Wildcats, picked up career victory No. 1,139 on the strength of eight hits, eight stolen bases and three RBI sacrifice bunts.

Meredith Hoffman and Kennady Prenosil, Carlisle’s Nos. 3 and 4 hitters, laid down bunts in front of the plate to shove runs across in the first inning, and Molly Hoekstra followed suit in the second to stake Carlisle to a quick 3-0 advantage.

“Our players were relaxed and we had our 3 and 4 hitters bunting,” Flaws said. “It’s so key to get those runs in the first two innings and it took the pressure off.”

Kennedy Preston followed Hoekstra with an RBI line-drive base hit to right-center, and a Le Mars errors on an Aubrey Furnal ground ball moments later allowed the Wildcats to increase their edge to 5-0.

Preston, who went 3 for 4 out of the lead-off position, is one of six returning starters offlast year’s state title team.

“I think we have all been here before and we tried to relax and act like it was a normal game,” Preston, the Wildcats’ catcher, said. “We’re just taking it one game at a time and playing like we know how.”

Isabelle Noring served as Preston’s courtesy runner and stole three bases that led to a pair of runs. Reagan Roling also swiped three bases.

“Eight stolen bases, that’s a pretty good day,” Flaws said. “If we get thrown out, we get thrown out.”

The early offensive production made Hoekstra’s job inside the circle rather easy. The lanky right-hander yielded only two hits over five innings and struck out five.

Lexxi Link took over in the sixth inning and retired six straight LeMars batters, four on strikes.

“Lexxi doesn’t get to pitch much, so for her to get two innings in … I knew she needed a little time pitching to live batters,” Flaws said. “I know Molly wanted to go the whole way, but that’s not how we operate.”

Hoffman had the game’s only extra base hit — a second-inning double into the gap in left-center. Furnal, Roling, Link and Morgan Lose all singled for Carlisle, which is in the state tournament field for the 18th time.

Le Mars (14-6), making just its second state appearance, was limited to two hits — a second-inning infield single by Avery Pratt and a bloop single to right off the bat of Brooke Haage in the fourth.

Hoekstra and Link combined to retire 13 of the final 14 Bulldog batters.

Le Mars freshman pitcher Lizzie Koonce was responsible for four earned runs. She walked three.

Carlisle 5, Le Mars 0

Le Mars 000 000 0 — 0 2 3

Carlisle 230 000 x — 5 8 0

Lizzie Koonce and Morgan Marienau. Molly Hoekstra, Lexxi Link (6) and Kennedy Preston. W — Hoekstra. L — Koonce. Multiple hits — CAR: Preston (3). 2B — CAR: Meredith Hoffman. RBI — CAR: Preston, Hoffman, Hoekstra, Kennady Prenosil.