---

Pine City 4, Chisago Lakes 2
Trailing the Pine City Pirates 4-1 entering the bottom of the ninth inning, the Bulldogs scored one run and had runners on second and third with one out.  But a popup and a slightly controversial groundout ended the game, with the Bulldogs losing 4-2.  Hunter Lindstrom started and went seven strong innings for the Bulldogs.  He allowed one unearned run on four hits, walked two, hit four batters and struck out 11.  Mitch Barrett took the loss in relief.  He allowed three earned runs on three this, walked two and struck out two.  The game was played Wednesday, June 21 at Chisago Lakes High School in Lindstrom.

A run-scoring single to right center by Adam Hanson drove in Danny Kimlinger with the game’s first run in the bottom of the second.  The Pirates tied it with an unearned run in the fifth.  Reliever Barrett cruised through the top of the eighth.  He walked the first batter in the ninth and the Pirates started to hit the ball hard.  A triple, double and single pushed across three runs to give the Pirates a 4-1 lead.  In the bottom of the inning, Hanson led off with a walk and Lindstrom reached on an error.  One out later, Jeremy Knutson reached on an error to push across one run.  Derrick Kluge fouled out to first for the second out.  Tyler Stilp grounded a 2-1 pitch slowly toward second.  The second baseman charged and scooped up the ball.  His throw was high.  The first baseman jumped and reached to get it, pulling his foot off the bag.  But he reached back to tag Stilp.  It appeared Stilp’s foot may have been on the bag before the tag was applied, but it was a very close call.  Stilp was called out and the game ended in a 4-2 loss for the Bulldogs.   

BANDITS BASH TOURNAMENT
Cleveland 9, Chisago Lakes 7 (7 innings)
The Cleveland Spiders are named after the worst team in major league baseball history, the 1899 Cleveland Spiders – who had a record of 20-134.  In the opening game of the Killebrew Root Beer Bandits Bash in Cambridge, the current version of the Spiders scored five runs in the bottom of the sixth to take a 9-5 lead over the Bulldogs.  The Bulldogs rallied in the top of the seventh but came up a couple of runs short, losing to the Spiders 9-7 and dropping into the consolation bracket of the tournament.  The game was played Saturday morning, June 24 at Larson Field in Cambridge.  Tournament rules limited tournament games to seven innings.

After a run-scoring groundout by Jeremy Knutson in the top of the fourth, a three run double by Dylan Magnuson gave the Bulldogs a 4-3 lead.  With two outs and a Spider on first in the bottom of the inning, Wildcat starter Tyler Stilp hit two straight batters to load the bases and came out of the game with a sore arm (he’s fine now).  Jeremy Knutson came in and got the next batter to foul out, preserving the Bulldogs’ lead.

The Spiders scored one run in the bottom of the fifth to tie the game at 4-4.  The Bulldogs re-took the lead in the top of the sixth when Miles Turk walked with the bases loaded to force in a run.  But the Spiders got to Knutson in the bottom of the inning.  Four straight singles accounted for two runs to put the Spiders up 6-5.  Dusty Rhodes came into relieve and allowed a sacrifice fly and a two-run homer to give the Spiders a 9-5 lead.  In the top of the seventh, Stilp and Noah Taylor singled to put runners on first and second with one out.  Danny Kimlinger singled to drive in one run and Rhodes reached on an error to drive in another and cut the Spider lead to 9-7.  Knutson struck out.  Dylan Magnuson worked the count to 3-2.  Rhodes took off from first a bit too early in the two-out, full count situation and the lefthanded Spider pitcher picked him off first to end the game.     

Chisago Lakes 14, North Branch 1 (5 innings)
In the second game of the tournament, the Bulldogs took advantage of a depleted North Branch Nighthawk pitching staff.  The Bulldogs scored nine runs in the second inning and five runs in the third to crush the Nighthawks 14-1.  The game was shortened to five innings because of the tournament’s ten-run rule.  Dylan Magnuson went the distance for the Bulldogs, picking up his first win of the season.  He allowed on unearned run on four hits, hit two batters and struck out four.

Derrick Kluge went 3-for-3 with two doubles and two RBIs.  Dusty Rhodes had two hits, including a double, and drove in three runs.  Noah Taylor singled and doubled and drove in two.  And Danny Kimlinger didn’t get a hit, but he reached base on a walk and two errors and scored three runs.  

Chisago Lakes 12, Nowthen 8 (7 innings)
Playing against the Nowthen Knights in the tournament’s fifth place game, the Bulldogs exploded for eight runs in the top of the fourth to take a 9-5 lead and went on to beat the Knights 12-8 and claim fifth place.  Derrick Kluge started and went 3 2/3 innings to pick up the win.  Dusty Rhodes went the final 3 1/3 innings to earn the save.

The Bulldogs trailed 5-1 entering the top of the fourth.  With one out, Kluge singled and Miles Turk and Connor Bleymeyer walked to load the bases.  David Kimlinger stroked a single to left to drive in two, and Bleymeyer and David Kimlinger alertly moved up a base each when the throw in from left was not cut off.  Tyler Stilp followed with a single up the middle to drive in both runners and tie the game at 5-5.  Dylan Magnuson and Noah Taylor walked to re-load the basis and knock the starter out of the game.  Danny Kimlinger and Dusty Rhodes each walked to drive in a run.  After Kluge struck out, Turk singled up the middle to drive in two more runs and the Bulldogs led 9-5.

Kluge had already given up five runs entering the bottom of the fourth.  A two-run double with two outs chased him from the game.  Rhodes came in and walked the first batter he faced, but struck out the next batter to end the Knight rally.  Danny Kimlinger had a two-run single in the seventh and David Kimlinger singled home a run in the ninth to help give the Bulldogs a cushion.

The Bulldogs pounded out 12 hits against the Knights  The Kimlinger brothers drove in seven runs between them, with David edging Danny 4-3.  Stilp and Turk had two RBIs each.  In picking up the save, Rhodes allowed one earned run on two hits, walked three and struck out five.  Starter and winning pitcher Kluge struggled.  He allowed seven runs, all earned, walked three and struck out three.

Big Lake 5, Chisago Lakes 4
Trailing 5-4 in a non-league game against the Big Lake Yellow Jackets going into the bottom of the ninth, the Bulldogs put runners on first and second with no outs.  But three straight batters struck out to end the game.  Hunter Lindstrom went the distance for the Bulldogs.  He allowed five runs – three earned – on ten hits, walked two and struck out nine.  The game was played at Chisago Lakes.
David Kimlinger and Stilp singled to lead off the bottom or the first.  After Dylan Magnuson grounded into a third-to-first double play, Noah Taylor singled to right to drive in Stilp for a 1-0 Bulldog lead.  In the top of the second, three hits and two Bulldog errors gave the Yellow Jackets a 2-1 lead.  The Bulldogs scored two more in the third and one in the fourth to go up 4-2.  Big Lake added one in the fifth and two in the seventh to go up 5-4 and set the stage for a dramatic bottom of the ninth.
David Kimlinger and Tyler Stilp singled to put runners on first and second with no outs in the bottom of the ninth.  Dylan Magnuson’s bunt attempt went foul.  On a 3-2 count, Magnuson took a fastball for strike three.  The count got to 0-2 on Noah Taylor and he took a hard breaking pitch for strike three and the second out.  And with a 1-2 count, Barrett swung and missed to strike out and end the game.
The Bulldogs deserved to win this game, but four diving catches on hard hit balls by the Yellow Jackets stopped potential big innings.  

Baseball Banter
The Bulldogs (4-7 overall, 2-5 league) will be off until after the Fourth of July holiday.  On Friday, July 7 they will take on the Mora Blue Devils at home at 7:30 p.m.

---