Carlisle was scuffling along during the dog days of June, with three losses during the same week and a precarious position barely in Class 4A’s Top-10.

The Wildcats turned a corner down the stretch, though, and they haven’t looked back since.

A small-ball clinic pushed Class 4A’s No. 7 seed past North Scott in the semifinal round on Wednesday, as Carlisle advanced by a score of 6-2 despite only registering one extra-base hit.

The Wildcats (36-8 overall) pushed their winning streak to 14 thanks in large part to bunting and baserunning. Head coach Jim Flaws’s squad had five sacrifice bunts and six stolen bases while playing flawless defense behind three different pitchers.

“It just feels great. We have nine seniors that set a goal of winning a state championship, and we’re one step away,” said Carlisle’s Harley Brower. “We never stop fighting and we’re staying locked in. We’re in this together.”

The Wildcats snapped a 2-2 tie with a run in the fourth, then manufactured two insurance scores in the sixth and another in the seventh. Addyson Eginoire and Evan Johnson-Miers recorded two hits each, with Natalie Ramsey and Eginoire both driving in a pair.

Mallie Stoner (12-1) worked four effective innings of relief, allowing only two hits and striking out three after the Lancers (31-6) had knotted things up in the third.

“These seniors have put in a lot of hard work and patiently waited their turn,” said Flaws, who has 1,147 victories and five state titles at Carlisle. “Everything started to come together over the last three weeks or so. We faced a really tough schedule, and I think it helped us get better, even when we were struggling a little.

“Sometimes you wonder if you have a team that can stay together (down the stretch), and sometimes they click and are all on the same page. This group has been having fun and is locked in. They’re unselfish; they don’t care about who gets the credit.”

Sydney Skarich — the daughter of former St. Edmond coach Paula Skarich — had two hits for North Scott.

Carlisle now meets Raccoon River Conference rival Adel-ADM for the 4A crown at 7:30 p.m. Thursday on Channel Seeds Field. The Wildcats and Tigers split their regular-season meetings, with both games decided by a single run.

The Lancers square off with top-seeded North Polk for third place at 6 p.m. on Thursday.

CARLISLE 6, NORTH SCOTT 2

Carlisle 002 102 1 — 6 9 0

North Scott 011 000 0 — 2 7 2

WP–Mallie Stoner (12-1; 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K); LP–Chevelle Kingsley (12-5; 5.1 IP, 7 H, 5 R, 4 ER, 2 BB, 2 K). 2B–C: Ally Nolte. SB–C: Alyvia Freeman 2, Evan Johnson-Miers, Harley Brower, Anyah Oatts, Addyson Eginoire, Sydney Skarich.