JANESVILLE - Game by game and season by season, Janesville has built one of Northeast Iowa's top Class 1A softball programs the past three years under head coach Shelly Sorensen.

Now, with a nucleus of players who have experienced that climb together, the 8th-ranked Wildcats have their sights set on earning the school's first state softball tournament berth.

That journey began Wednesday when Janesville had to reach deep into its arsenal of weapons for a 9-1 victory over Iowa Star Conference rival Tripoli.

"Everyone stepped up their performance tonight," said Sorensen. "We hit the ball extremely well tonight, and we needed to because Tripoli played a very good defensive game."

The Wildcats delivered 10 hits on the night and saw no one on their team strike out.

However, Tripoli held the explosive Janesville offense in check for most of the game - until the Wildcats pounded out six hits and scored eight runs in the top half of the fourth inning to break the game open.

"It was just solid hitting all around in the fourth inning," said Sorensen. "We pounded the ball and were seeing the pitches very well."

That explosion was all the run support that Janesville pitcher and North Iowa Area Community College recruit Dana Sorensen needed from the mound. Sorensen threw a three-hit complete game with 14 strikeouts.

"I didn't even realize how many I had struck out," said Dana Sorensen. "I've had a couple of 15-strikeout games in the past, but this was a really good night. My riser and all my pitches were just really working well tonight."

The opening-round performance was one that both Sorensens hope to repeat Friday night when the Wildcats face third-ranked North Butler in the second round of the playoffs.

"North Butler is a really good team, and we will need everyone to be on top of their games," said Dana Sorensen.

"We have great team chemistry, and we can put it all together. Hopefully, we can use that and make a push at the state tournament this year."

Added coach Shelly Sorensen, "Hopefully, we can take this momentum and channel it into Friday's matchup against the third-ranked team. It should be a good one, the third- and eighth-ranked teams playing.

"You kind of wish this would be the kind of match-up you would see at state."

Janesville 001 800 0 - 9 10 0

Tripoli 000 100 0 - 1 3 3

Dana Sorensen and Molly Bolt; Amber Klusterman and Erika Ollendiek. 3B - Trip: Chelsea Gilbert, Janes: Jenny Monaghan. 2B - Janes: Karli Kruse, Ally Poock.