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Chisago Lakes 5, Ramsey 1

Hunter Lindstrom pitched a complete game, and Reed Marquardt’s two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the third put the Bulldogs up 3-0 over the Ramsey Renegades as the Bulldogs went on to beat the Renegades 5-1 on Wednesday, June 26 at Pat Collins Field at Chisago Lakes High School.  The sidearming Lindstrom kept Ramsey off balance all night.  He allowed one earned run on five hits, didn’t walk anyone, and struck out eight.

The Bulldogs did a lot of work to put one run across in the bottom of the first.  Tyler Stilp singled to lead off the inning and was forced at second when Brendan Hemr grounded to second.  Hemr stole second,  Beau Fandel was hit by a pitch, and the runners pulled off a double steal.  Alex Wilkey grounded to first to score Hemr, and the Bulldogs led 1-0.  In the third, Hemr and Fandel singled and Wiley walked to load the bases with one out.  One out later, Marquardt drilled a single to left to score two runs.   The Renegades scored a run on a groundout in the top of the sixth.  Marquardt led off the bottom of the inning with double to right center.  Nick Brown walked.  Two outs later, three straight walks to Stilp, Hemr, and Fandel pushed across two more runs to give the Bulldogs some cushion at 5-1.  Lindstrom allowed just two harmless singles in the final three innings to finish off the win.

Chisago Lakes 10, Nowthen 0 (7 innings)

The Bulldogs needed some pitching help to get through four games in a stretch of five days.  That help came in the form of Bulldogs manager Steve Budke.  Taking the ball against the Nowthen Knights at home on Friday, June 28, Budke took some of the pressure off the rest of the pitching staff by throwing a 10-0, three-hit complete game shutout.  In his seven innings of work, Budke walked three, and struck out two.   Bad umpiring kept the game close until the Bulldogs scored seven runs in the bottom of the sixth inning.  The game ended in the bottom of the seventh when Reed Marquardt drilled a line drive single to right with the bases loaded and two outs, driving in two runs to make the score 7-0 and giving the Wildcats the win by the ten-run rule.

Bailey Kasprowicz doubled to drive in Nate Zingerman in the bottom of the second, and the Bulldogs still clung to that 1-0 lead going into the bottom of the sixth.  Alex Wilkey singled and Dusty Rhodes doubled to left center to put runners on first and third with one out.  Four straight singles – by Bailey Kasprowicz, Aaron Keeney, Tyler Stilp and Brendan Hemr (with a walk to Reece Berner in the middle) led to six runs.  After Reed Marquardt’s single moved Hemr to third, Wilkey hit a fly ball to left to drive in Hemr, and the Bulldogs led 8-0.

Chisago Lakes 14, Rum River 1 (8 innings)

Hunter Lindstrom and Beau Fandel pitched four effective innings apiece at the Bulldogs crushed the Rum River Bandits 14-1 Saturday, June 29 at Larson Park in Cambridge, in a game ended after eight innings due to the ten-run rule.  The game was started at Larson Park on June 5, postponed in the top of the fifth due to lightning, and finished Saturday, June 29.

Lindstrom pitched the first four innings, but was not available when the teams got together to finish the game last Saturday.  He allowed no runs on two hits, walked three and struck out two.  Fadel allowed one earned run on two hits, walked three and struck out nine shell-shocked Bandits to pick up the win in relief.

The Bulldogs scored 14 runs on just nine hits.  But they took advantage of 11 walks and four Rum River errors in the game.  Eight of the fourteen runs scored on passed balls and wild pitches.  Tyler Stilp had two hits and drove in two runs, and Tommy Fiter and Reece Berner each doubled.

Chisago Lakes 10, East Bethel 1

Jacob Mickelson threw his fifth complete game of the season and Reed Marquardt hit a three run homer to lead the Bulldogs to a 10-1 win over the East Bethel Bandits.  The game was started at St. Francis High School on June 12, postponed by lightning after three innings, and finished Sunday, June 30 at Booster Park in East Bethel.  Mickelson allowed one unearned run on just three hits and struck out seven.  He was uncharacteristically wild, walking five batters, but didn’t let it rattle him.

Dusty Rhodes scored on a wild pitch in the second inning to give the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead.  Alex Wilkey had run scoring singles in the fourth, and Wilkey also scored on a wild pitch in the fourth to give the Bulldogs a 4-0 lead.  Jack Boeck drove in a run with a single in the top of the fifth.  The fifth inning ended on an odd play.   With runners on first and second and one ouJune `2t, Aaron Keeney hit a h8ght pp fly just beyond third base.  The umpire did not call the infield fly rule until the ball hit the ground about two feet inside the line, and he called it too quietly.  Tommy Fiter the runner on second, did not hear the infield fly call and try to advance to third, where he was easily tagged for the third out.  The umpire should have called “infield fly, if fair” when the ball was till up in the air, and he should have yelled it loud enough for everyone to hear.

Bailey Kasprowicz singled to drive in a run in the top of the seventh.  Jac Boeck singled to lead off the top of the eighth.  Two outs later, Boeck stole second and Tyler Stilp walked.  Reed Marquardt stepped to the plate and, on a 1-0 count.  Launched a ball high and deep to right for a three-run homer to give the Wildcats a 9-0 lead.  The shutout was spoiled in the bottom of the eighth.  Mickelson walked two batters.  With two outs, the East Bethel batter hit a ground ball to second.  Reece Berner’s low throw skipped past first baseman Dusty Rhodes and the runner scored all the way from second.  The Bulldogs added one more run in the top of the ninth.  Brendan Hemr walked, move to second on a passed ball, advance to third on a groundout by Fitzer and scored on a line single t left by Aaron Keeney.

Bulldog Banter

Three Bulldog pitchers – Bailey Kasprowicz, Hunter Lindstrom, and Jacob Mickelson – are in the top ten in ERA in the Eastern Minny League.  And Lindstrom is tied for first with four wins.  Outfielder Brendan Hemr is second in the league with nine stolen bases.

After a week-long break for the Fourth of July holiday, the Bulldogs will host the Andover Aces at Chisago Lakes High School on Monday, July 8 at 7:30 p.m.  And they will get back into Eastern Minny League play when they welcome the Elk River Lumberjacks to Lindstrom on Wednesday, July 10 at 7:30 p.m.

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