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The Bulldogs, with the number two seed in the Eastern Minny South playoffs seemingly wrapped up, had a strange week and, when it was all over, dropped to the number four seed in the South.  Last Wednesday, they committed ten errors and lost 7-4 to a weak Ogilvie team.  On Friday, they beat the Princeton Panthers 9-6.  The Panthers had clinched the top seed Eastern Minny League North the night before.  And on Sunday, with the number two seed still in their grasp, they lost 7-5 to the St. Francis Silverbacks, largely as the result of three stellar plays by Silverback outfielders early in the game, errors,  and some bad calls by a seemingly biased umpire.

Ogilvie 7, CL 4

With the score tied 2-2 in the seventh inning, the Ogilvie Orioles took advantage of two hits, two wild pitches and five Bulldog errors to score four times and went on to beat the Bulldogs 7-4 in an Eastern Minny League matchup Wednesday, July 17 at Pat Collins Field.  The Bulldogs committed ten errors in the game.  Nine of the ten errors were committed in the infield, with all infielders – including the pitcher and catcher – committing at least one error.  Only one of the seven runs against Bulldog pitcher Hunter Lindstrom was earned.

Tyler Stilp singled to center to lead off the bottom of the first inning.  Baily Kasprowicz reached on an error, and Reed Marquardt reached on a bunt single to load the bases.  Two outs later, Dusty Rhodes hit a ground ball to second.  The second baseman couldn’t get a handle on it, and Rhodes reached on an error, scoring Stilp with the first run of the game.  Ogilive tied it up with an unearned run in the fourth and took a 2-1 lead when two errors led to an unearned run in the fifth.  Catcher Nick Brown singled to lead off the bottom of the sixth and the speedy Brendan Hemr came in for Brown as a courtesy runner.  Hemr stole second and went to third when the catcher’s throw sailed into center field.  Reece Berner laid a bunt down the third base line.  The third baseman charged into scoop up the ball and fired it to first to nip Berner as Hemr took off for home.  Hemr slid and easily beat the throw home, tying the score at 2-2.

After the disastrous top of the seventh inning, the Bulldogs started what looked to be a potential big rally in the bottom of the inning.  Kasprowicz and Marquardt singled to lead off the inning.  Alex Wilkey lined a single to right.  It got by the right fielder.  As he went to retrieve the ball and turned to fire it back in, Kasprowicz scored, but Marquardt was out by 30 feet for the first out of the inning.  Nate Zingerman grounded out.  Pinch runner Charlie Mohr advanced to third on a wild pitch.  Dusty Rhodes walked, but Nick Brown flew out to right to end the rally, with the Bulldog trailing 6-3.  Ogilvie scored their only earned run of the game in the top of the eighth.  Marquardt doubled to left to lead off the bottom of the ninth.  One out later, Marquardt advanced to third on a wild pitch and scored on a sacrifice fly by Zingerman to cut the Oriole lead to 7-4.  Rhodes flew out to end the game.

CL 9, Princeton 6

The Bulldogs overcame an early 3-0 deficit, scored twice in three straight innings, and beat the Princeton Panthers 9-6 Friday, July 19 at Pat Collins Field.  Reed Marquardt got the win in relief, and Hunter Lindstrom picked up the Bulldogs’ first save of the season.

The Panthers scored three runs without the benefit of a hit against starter Beau Fandel in the top of the first.  A one-out walk and a groundout left a runner on first with two outs.  But an error on a ground ball kept the inning alive, and a run scored on the play.  The next batter singled to right.  The throw from right field got by first baseman Alex Wilkey and another run scored, making it 2-0.  A ground ball to second got through second baseman Aaron Keeney for an error and the third run of the inning scored.  Fandel finally ended the inning without relying on his fielders, picking the runner off first to end it.

In the bottom of the third, Charlie Mohr was hit by a pitch and Adam Brown walked to put runners on first and second with one out.  Tyler Stilp drove a single to center to drive in one run and Alex Wilkey hit a sacrifice fly for another, cutting the Princeton lead to 3-2.  Brendan Hemr and Dusty Rhodes singled to lead off the top of the fourth.  Charlie Mohr hit a grounder that eluded the Panther third baseman and went into left field, scoring Hemr.  Two pitches later, the Princeton pitcher attempted to pick Hemr off at second.  The throw sailed into center field and Hemr scored all the way from second to give the Bulldogs a 4-3 lead.  Fandel singled with one out in the fifth.  With two outs, Marquardt doubled to the wall in right center, scoring Fandel.  Hemr followed with an electrifying triple into the right field corner to score Marquardt and make it 6-3 Bulldogs.   The Panthers tied it up with one run in the sixth and two more in the seventh.

Tyler Stilp singled to lead off the bottom of the seventh.  One out later, Wilkey doubled to right, moving Stilp to third.  Marquardt was intentionally walked to lead the bases.  Hemr hit a popup to short right center field.  Four Panthers converged on it, and they all watched it drop between them.  Stilp scored as the speedy Marquardt beat the throw to second.  Wilkey scored on a groundout by Rhodes, and the Bulldogs led 8-6.  Adam Brown beat out a grounder to short with one out in the eighth and went to second when the throw got past the first baseman.  He later scored on a single to right by Fandel.  In the top of the ninth, an error and a single put runners on first and second with no outs.  But a popup and a 4-6-3 double play clinched the win.

Fandel went four innings and allowed three unearned runs.  He allowed one hit, walked one, and struck out four.  Marquardt pitched three innings,  He allowed three runs – two earned –  on two hits, walked two, and struck out six.  Lindstrom allowed one hit and struck out two in two innings of scoreless relief.

St. Francis 7, Chisago Lakes 5

With the Bulldogs trailing 7-5 with two outs in the top of the ninth, Alex Wilkey was thrown out trying to advance to home after Dusty Rhodes beat the back end of a double play ball to first, ending the game on the basepaths.  The game was played at St Francis High School on Sunday, July 21.

In the top of the first inning, Brendan Hemr walked, stole second, went to third on a groundout by Reed Marquardt and scored on a groundout by Tyler Stilp.  With the Bulldogs still leading 1-0 in the top of the fifth, Tom Fitzer hit a pop fly down the left field line, and the ball dropped about six inches fair.  But the umpire ruled it a foul ball.  Fitzer grounded out.  Tanner Marquardt singled, Aaron Keeney singled, and Brendan Hemr walked to load the bases.  But Reed Marquardt lined out to left and Tyler Stilp flew out to center to end the inning.  In the bottom of the inning, Silverback Trevor Patterson came to the plate with one out and runners on first and second.  He launched an 0-1 pitched well over the left field fence for a three-run homer, and St. Francis led 3-1.  The Silverbacks added two more runs in the sixth on a walk, a two-out error, a single and a wild pitch, making the score 5-1.  They scored two more runs in the seventh, triggered by a leadoff error, and led 7-1.

In the top of the eighth, Stilp, Wilkey and Kasprowicz all singled to lead the bases with no outs.  After Dusty Rhodes struck out,  Fitzer hit a grounder to short.  He beat the double play relay throw to first.  Stilp scored to cut the St. Francis lead to 7-2.  Tanner Marquardt lined a single to left to score Wilkey, ad the Bulldogs trailed 7-3.  Hemr led off the top of the ninth with a bunt single.  One out later, he stole second and scored on a double to the left field corner by Tyler Stilp to cut the St. Francis lead to 7-4.  Wilkey singled to center, moving Stilp to third.  Stilp scored on a wild pitch to cut the Silverback lead to 7-5.  Bailey Kasprowicz walked to load the bases.  Rhodes hit a grounder to short.  Kasprowicz was forced at second, but Rhodes beat the relay to first.  Wilkey tried to score all the way from second and was thrown out at the plate to end the game.

Bulldog Banter

As mentioned above, the Bulldogs (10-5, Eastern Minny League) are seeded fourth in the Eastern Minny League South regional playoffs.  They will open against the Elk River Lumberjacks at noon this Saturday at Mark Park in Princeton.  If they win, they will likely face the top-seeded Princeton Panthers on Friday, August 2.  If they lose, they will drop to the elimination bracket and play at noon this Sunday. If they get to Princeton, they will likely face Damon Rademacher on the hill.  Rademacher is the Panthers’ best pitcher and pitched for the Bulldogs as a draftee in last year’s state tournament.

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