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Chisago Lakes 6, Spring Lake Park 4

The Wildcat baseball team, trailing 4-3, rallied for three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning on four walks and a hit batter to beat the Spring Lake Park Panthers 6-4 Tuesday, April 18 at Spring Lake Park.

In the first four innings, the Panthers scored two earned runs and two unearned runs to take a 4-0 lead. But, in the top of the fifth, walks to Jake Kuehl and Zach Stimson and a single by Bob LeVasseur loaded the bases with one out. Lance Baumgard singled to drive in Kuehl and Adam Gemuenden drove in Stimson with a groundout. LeVasseur scored on a two-out error and the Wildcats had pulled to within 4-3, setting the stage for their winning rally in the fifth.

Cory Claeson led off the fifth with a bunt single and stole second on the next pitch. Pinch-hitter Tommy Fitzer laid down a bunt single as well, putting runners at the corners with no outs. Claeson scored on a wild pitch to tie the game, with Fitzer moving to second. Kuehl sacrificed Fitzer to third. Stimson was hit by a pitch and stole second, putting runners at second and third.

On a 1-1 count, Fitzer raced toward home with the pitch, and LeVasseur bounced a bunt between the pitcher and the charging first baseman. Fitzer scored easily on the suicide squeeze and LeVasseur ended up on first base with a single. LeVasseur was cut down trying to steal second, but Stimson scored on the throw to give the Wildcats a two-run lead. And that’s the way it ended – Chisago Lakes 6, Spring Lake Park 4. Jake Kuehl picked up the win in relief.

“That was fun,” said Wildcat head coach Pat Collins. “I like that style of baseball. We were playing to our strengths – running and bunting well.”

Chisago Lakes 6, Irondale 1

Starting pitcher Bob LeVasseur shook off being hit in the forehead with a bat in the bottom of the fifth inning and ended up throwing a one-hitter as the Wildcats beat the Irondale Knights 6-1 at home Thursday, April 20.

The Wildcats took the lead for good in the second inning. Jeff Hollister walked and went to second on a passed ball. With one out, Cory Claeson singled, sending Hollister to third. Claeson stole second. Tommy Fitzer drove Hollister in with an infield single, and went to second as the throw sailed over the first baseman’s head. With two outs, Zach Stimson smashed a double to deep right center field, driving in Claeson and Fitzer and giving the Wildcats a 4-0 lead.

The Wildcats added to their lead in the third. Lance Baumgard and Adam Gemuenden walked to lead off the inning. They pulled off a double steal and the catcher’s throw to third sailed into left field, allowing Baumgard to score. Two outs later, Claeson drove in Gemuenden with a single up the middle to give the Wildcats a 6-0 lead. To add insult to injury for the Knights, the next hitter, Fitzer, fouled off a pitch. The ball smashed through a side window on the Irondale team bus, leaving one angry bus driver.

It didn’t get any better for the Knights after that. They scored a run in the fourth without getting a hit – on a hit batter, walk and an error – but they couldn’t do anything against LeVasseur.

LeVasseur’s biggest challenge came from his own team. In the bottom of the fifth inning, a Wildcat player flipped LeVasseur’s bat to him, but LeVasseur wasn’t looking. The bat hit LeVasseur right between the eyes, opening a gash on his forehead. The trainer was able to get the bleeding stopped, and LeVasseur headed out to continue pitching.

“Since I was over coaching third base, I didn’t even know it had happened,” said Wildcat head coach Pat Collins. “And no one told me about it ‘til later in the game. I think Bob was afraid I wouldn’t let him go back out there after getting hit.” The injury didn’t seem to bother LeVasseur, who later needed stitches, as he faced just six batters in the last two innings to complete his one-hitter. The final score was Chisago Lakes 6, Irondale 1.

“It was nice to get back-to-back wins,” said Collins. “LeVasseur pitched very well. We didn’t hit too well, but we hit well enough to win. Stimson and LeVasseur did each have a good hit, and we turned a couple of nice double plays.”

Irondale 000 100 0 1

Chisago Lakes 042 000 x 6

Battery: CL Kaiser, Kuehl (4) and Reed

AB R H RBI

Stimson, cf 3 1 2 2

McCullough, rf 1 0 0 0

LeVasseur, p 3 0 2 0

Kaiser, ph 0 0 0 0

Baumgard, 3b 3 0 1 0

Gemuenden, 1b 1 1 0 0

Jones, 1b 1 0 0 0

Hollister, rf 1 1 0 0

Willhite, rf, lf 1 0 0 0

Reed, c 3 0 0 0

Claeson, ss 3 1 3 1

Fitzer, dh 3 1 1 1

Kopp, 2b 0 0 0 0

Welle, 2b 0 0 0 0

Butcher, lf 3 0 0 0

2B—Stimson (3); SB—Stimson (5), Baumgard (1), Gemuenden (1),

Claeson (3), Fitzer (2)

Mahtomedi 10, Chisago Lakes 4

A fifth-inning grand slam by the Mahtomedi Zephyrs broke open a close game and the Zephyrs went on to beat the Wildcats 10-4 at Mahtomedi Friday, April 21.

Early in the game, it looked like the Wildcats would walk all over the Zephyrs. Zach Stimson opened the game by walking and stealing second. With one out, Lance Baumgard drove Stimson in with the first run of the game. Baumgard then stole second and Jake Kuehl singled him in to make the score 2-0. With two outs and runners at first and third, Mike Welle hit a liner up the middle. The Zephyr second baseman made an unbelievable diving catch to rob Welle of a hit and keep the score at 2-0.

The Wildcats added to their lead in the second. Eric Reed opened the inning with a single, then stole second. David Willhite bunted for a base hit, sending Reed to third. Willhite stole second and, with one out, Bob LeVasseur was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Lance Baumgard hit a grounder to the first baseman and Reed was forced at home for the second out of the inning. Adam Gemuenden came up and hit what looked like an inning ending ground ball to the second baseman. But the ball skipped through the fielder’s legs and into right center field, allowing Willhite and LeVasseur to score and making the score 4-0 going into the bottom of the second.

The Zephyrs got three back in the bottom of the second and tied it up with another run in the fourth, setting the stage for their big inning. With one out, one run in and the bases loaded, the Zephyr batter hit a long, high fly ball to left field. The ball just kept carrying and sailed over the left field fence for a grand slam and a 9-4 lead. The Zephyrs added a run in the sixth to make the final score Mahtomedi 10, Chisago Lakes 4.

“We hit the ball well this game,” said Wildcat head coach Pat Collins. “We got some good swings in. Zach Stimson, Adam Gemuenden and David Willhite hit some balls deep that were caught. I think the turning point in the game was Welle’s line drive out in the first inning. If their second baseman doesn’t make a great play there, we add to our lead and maybe demoralize them. But they took advantage of the opportunity to get back in the game.”

Three of the Wildcats’ next four games are on the road. They were scheduled to head up the road to North Branch to play the Vikings Tuesday, April 25. The team plays St. Louis Park at Dakota Park today, Thursday, July 27. They go to Princeton Monday, May 1 to face the Tigers. The Wildcats return home Tuesday, May 2, to host the Robbinsdale Cooper Hawks. The Princeton game starts at 4:30 and the other games start at 4:15.

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