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Osceola 3, Chisago Lakes 0

The Osceola Braves held the hot-hitting Bulldogs to just three hits and shut them out 3-0 Wednesday, July 12 at Oakey Park in Osceola.  Hunter Lindstrom went seven innings for the Bulldogs and took the loss.  The Bulldog defense committed four errors, directly leading to all three Braves’ runs.  Lindstrom had his best outing of the season, allowing just four hits, walking none, and striking out eight.  Jacob Mickelson finished up with an inning of scoreless relief.

 

Twin Ports 9, Chisago Lakes 8 (8 innings)

Twin Ports 5, Chisago Lakes 4

The Twin Ports Timbers swept a non-league doubleheader from the Bulldogs, winning 9-8 and 5-4.  The games were played at historic Wade Stadium in Duluth Saturday, July 15.

In the opener, the Bulldogs trailed 8-2 heading into the top of the seventh.  The Bulldogs scored six times, highlighted by Jeremy Knutson’s two-run double, to tie the game at 8-8.  The Timbers won the game in the bottom of the eighth on a single, two walks (one intentional) and a passed ball. 

In the nightcap, Nate Zingerman’s two-run double in the top of the first gave the Bulldogs a 2-0 lead.  The Bulldogs added a run in the third when Adam Brown doubled and later scored on a wild pitch.  Alex Wilkey’s run-scoring double in the top of the fifth stretched the Bulldog lead to 4-0.  But the Bulldog defense faltered in the bottom of the fifth, and the Timbers tied the game at 4-4.  The Bulldogs had runners on first and second with two outs in the top of the seventh as Alex Wilkey stepped up to the plate.  Wilkey took a pitch for ball one, but Jack Boeck was thrown out trying to steal third, ending the potential Bulldog rally.  The Timbers scored the winning run in the bottom of the inning on two hit batters, a walk, and a sacrifice fly.

Zingerman started and went four scoreless innings for the Bulldogs.  He allowed just three hits, didn’t walk anyone, and struck out one.   

Chisago Lakes 10, Mora 5

The Bulldogs scored five runs in the top of the ninth inning to break a 5-5 tie and beat the Mora Blue Devils 10-5 Sunday, July 16 at newly renovated Blue Devils Field in Mora.

In the top of the fourth, Nate Zingerman’s two run triple to the wall in left center tied the game at 2-2.  Adam Brown’s run-scoring double in the fifth gave the Bulldogs their first lead of the game at 3-2.  In the top of the seventh, Alex Wilkey reached on an error with two outs, scoring Tyler Stilp.  Reed Marquardt scored on a wild pitch, and the Bulldogs led 5-2.  But the Blue Devils scored once in the seventh and added two more runs in the eighth to tie the game at 5-5.

In the top of the ninth, Aaron Keeney and Brown singled, and Stilp walked to load the bases with no outs.  Marquardt singled to right center to drive in two runs.  After a single by Wilkey re-loaded the bases, Nate Zingerman singled up the middle to plate two more runs.  Dylan Magnuson singled to re-load the bases, and Bailey Kasprowicz singled to right center to drive in the fifth run of the inning, making the score 10-5.  Tyler Stilp shut down the Blue Devils on just seven pitches in the bottom of the ninth to seal the win.

Bailey Kasprowicz started for the Bulldogs and went 7 1/3 innings.  He allowed five runs (four earned) on seven hits, walked two, and struck out five.  Stilp picked up the win in relief.  In 1 2/3 innings, he allowed just one hit, walked none, and struck out two.

 

Chisago Lakes 9, St. Francis 1

Noah Couwenhoven started and pitched six shutout innings as the Bulldogs crushed the St. Francis Silverbacks 9-1 Monday, July 17 at Oakey Park in Osceola, Wisc.  The Bulldogs blew open a close game with a six-run outburst in the fifth inning.

The Bulldogs jumped out to an early lead in the bottom of the first.  Adam Brown led off with a single, and Tyler Stilp tripled over the left fielder’s head to the 385 sign in deep left center to drive in Brown.  Reed Marquardt’s sacrifice fly scored Stilp, and the Bulldogs led 2-0.  In the fifth, Alex Wilkey doubled to the wall in right center to drive in two.  Couwenhoven and Baily Kasprowicz added run-scoring singles, and Dusty Rhodes topped off the outburst with a two-run double into the left field corner to make it 8-0. 

Catcher Brown made a highlight film play in the top of the eighth, with the Bulldogs leading 8-1.  With runners on first and third and no outs, reliever Hunter Lindstrom unleashed a wild pitch.  As the runner from third raced toward home, the ball rebounded hard off the backstop.  Brown ran ten feet to grab the ball, turned, ran back to the plate and dove, tagging the runner just before his hand touched home plate for the first out of the inning.  The Bulldogs scratched across one more run in the bottom of the eighth without the benefit of a hit.  Marquardt walked with one out, stole second, and went to third on Wilkey’s groundout.  Zingerman walked.  On the next pitch, Zingerman took off for second.  He beat the throw for a stolen base as Marquardt scored easily on the back end of the double steal.

In six innings of work, Couwenhoven allowed just two hits, walked two, hit one and struck out eight to pick up the win.  Steve Budke allowed one run in an inning of work, and Lindstrom finished up with two innings of scoreless relief. 

 

Bulldog Banter

The Bulldogs (11-4 division, 11-11 overall) have clinched second place in the Eastern Minny League Central division, their highest finish since coming back into the Eastern Minny League in 2014.  Bailey Kasprowicz is ninth in the league with a 1.93 ERA.

The Bulldogs have two games remaining before the Region 1C playoffs.  Tomorrow night, Friday, July 28, they will head up to one of Minnesota’s most storied ballparks, Brennan Field in Hinckley, to take on the Hinckley Knights.  

On Sunday, July 30, the Bulldogs will host the Stillwater Loggers at the Chisago Lakes High School Field at 1 p.m.

The Bulldogs will have free concessions at the game, so come on out, enjoy the last bit of home town ball games and eat a free lunch courtest of the ‘Dogs!

We will have playoff information in next week’s Press.

 You can follow the Bulldogs on twitter (@chisagobulldogs), Instagram (chisago_lakes_bulldogs), and Facebook (Chisago Lakes Bulldogs).

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