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Ramsey 7, Chisago Lakes 6
Trailing 7-4 going into the bottom of the eighth against the Ramsey Renegades, the Bulldogs rallied to cut the lead to 7-6, seemingly within striking distance.  But Ramsey closer Max Loven, who can throw nearly 90 miles per hour, pitched an immaculate inning in the bottom of the ninth.  He struck out all three Bulldogs he faced on a total of just nine pitches to nail down the win for the Renegades.  The game was played Monday, June 10 at Chisago Lakes.

After Bulldog starter Mitch Barrett stiffened up and had to leave the game with one out in the third inning.  Miles Turk came in to replace Barrett, and Wildcat coaches were hoping to get a couple of innings out of Turk.  Instead, Turk pitched 6 2/3 innings – by far his longest stint as a Bulldog.  Turk gave up five runs, but only two of them were earned.  He allowed eight hits, walked three and struck out two and appears to have provided the Bulldogs with a solid relief option.  Turk also had three hits in the game, while Derrick Kluge, Kellen Reed and Adam Hanson had two hits each.

In the pivotal bottom of the eighth, Hanson and Turk singled, and, with two outs, each moved up a base on a wild pitch.  Lindstrom reached on an error and a run scored.  Kluge reached on another error and another run scored.  But Rhodes struck out to end the threat.
 
Rum River 17, Chisago Lakes 1 (6 innings)
When a team gets pounded 17-1, you wouldn’t think there would be too many bright spots.  But the Bulldogs found one bright spot in their loss to Rum River at home on Wednesday, June 12.  Rookie pitcher Jacob Mickelson made his first start of the season for the Bulldogs.  He went five innings.  Although he allowed five runs, just two of them were earned.  He walked three and struck out five.  After Mickelson struggled a little in the first inning, he settled down and allowed just two baserunners – on a walk and an error – over the next three innings.  The Bulldogs trailed 5-1 after five innings but, due to injuries and vacations, were pretty much out of pitching and gave up 12 runs in the sixth and lost by the ten-run rule.

Chisago Lakes 11, Nowthen 3
Hunter Lindstrom pitched eight solid innings and the Bulldog hitters came to life as the Bulldogs crushed the Nowthen Knights 11-3 at home Wednesday, June 19.  Lindstrom started and allowed two earned runs on eight hits, walked four and stuck out four.  Dusty Rhodes pitched the ninth, allowing a walk and a hit but striking out three.
The Bulldogs had nine hits, just one more than the Knights.  But they took advantage of the generosity of the Nowthen pitching staff, who allowed nine walks and hit three batters.  Dylan Magnuson drove in three runs on a double and a sacrifice fly.  Jeremy Knutson and Tyler Stilp drove in two runs each.  Stilp and Adam Hanson had two hits apiece, and Stilp had the Bulldog’s first triple of the season.
 
Rum River 19, Chisago Lakes 3
When a team gets beat 19-3, there usually isn’t too much to write about.  And that’s the case for the Bulldogs’ loss to Rum River at home last Friday night – the pitchers struggled, and the Bulldogs made a lot of errors.  But in the fifth inning, first baseman Kellen Reed – playing in just his second game of the season – blasted a three-run homer over the pine trees in left field.  The long home run earned the admiration of Reed’s teammates, opponents and the fans, and showed, once again, what a difference-maker he can be when he’s in the batting lineup.  Reed will be a key part of the Bulldogs’ playoff run this season.
 
Bulldog Banter
The Bulldogs (3-6) have a busy weekend coming up before they are off for Fourth of July week.  They host the Hibbing Miners at Chisago Lakes High School tomorrow night at 8 p.m.  Saturday, they will travel to Hinckley – which has one of the top town ball stadiums in the state – to take on the Hinckley Knights at 7:30 p.m.  And on Sunday, the Bulldogs will head to Quamba to play the Cubs at 2 p.m.

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