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Section 7AAA Playoffs

Duluth Denfeld 6, Chisago Lakes 2

In the opening game of the Section 7AAA baseball playoffs, the third-seeded Duluth Denfeld Hunters had just six hits.  But Wildcat pitchers walked eight batters and hit one, and five of those nine batters scored as the Hunters beat the Wildcats 6-2 Tuesday, May 28 at Duluth.  Caden Gibbs drove in one Wildcat run with a first inning single, and Kellen Meissner drove in the other with a groundout in the top of the seventh.  The loss sent the Wildcats to the elimination bracket, but they actually got a home game as the higher seed, after seventh-seeded Cloquet lost their playoff opener to second-seeded Hermantown.

Chisago Lake 6, Cloquet 4

Jack Bjelland’s two-out, two-run single in the bottom of the fifth inning broke a 3-3, and the Wildcats went on to beat the Cloquet Lumberjacks 6-3 Thursday, May 30 at Pat Collins Field at Chisago Lakes High School.

Kellen Meissner singled with two outs in the bottom of the first inning, went to third on Ian Larsen’s single to right and scored on a balk to give the Wildcats a 1-0 lead.  In the bottom of third, Xavier Taylor reached first on a one-out error.  Meissner walked, and Ian Larsen popped out for the second out.  Caden Gibbs and Chuck Gilman followed with clutch run-scoring singles and the Wildcats led 3-0.  The Lumberjacks scored two runs in the fourth and one in the fifth to tie the game at 3-3.

Ian Larsen led off the bottom of the fifth with a single to right.  Caden Gibbs lined a single to center and Chuck Gilman walked to load the bases with no outs.  Cole Stilp struck out and Zander Bleymeyer popped out.  With two outs, Bjelland came up to the plate and lined the first pitch to center to drive in Larsen and Gibbs, giving the Wildcats a 5-3 lead.  The Wildcats added another run in the bottom of the sixth.  Dom Torrez led off with a single and, one out later, Meissner singled to move Torrez to second.  Larsen’s groundout forced Meissner at second, but moved Larsen to third.  With Caden Gibbs at the plate and a 1-0 count, Gibbs took a strike as Larsen attempted to steal second.  The throw went down to second and Torrez took off for home, beating the throw to increase the Wildcat lead to 6-3.

With two outs in the top of the seventh, two straight errors by third baseman Larsen allowed one run to score.  Pitcher Bleymeyer, who picked up the win on the mound, hit the next batter to put runners on first and second.  But the next batter grounded to Larsen, who stepped on third to end the rally and the game.  The 6-4 win sent the Wildcats to an elimination bracket matchup with fourth-seeded Rock Ridge.

Chisago Lakes 6, Rock Ridge 3 (8 innings)

Jack Bjelland continued his postseason heroics in the Wildcats’ matchup against the Rock Ridge Wolverines.   Bjelland’s three-run double in the top of the eighth broke a 3-3 tie, and the Wildcats beat the Wolverines 6-3 to stay alive in the playoffs.  The game was played at Rock Ridge on Saturday, June 1.

The Wildcats got on the scoreboard in the top of the third inning.  After Bjelland and Jadon Greene led off with singles, Dom Torrez singled to drive in Bjelland.  The baserunners advanced on a passed ball and, after Xavier Taylor struck out, Caden Gibbs line a single to right to score both runners, giving the Wildcats a 3-0 lead.  Rock Ridge tied it up with three unearned runs in the bottom of the sixth.  An error by Gilman and a hit batter put runners on first and second with no outs.  Zander Bleymeyer came in to replace starter Taylor.  A passed ball moved the runners up, and the next batter singled to drive in the first Wolverine run.  An error by Bjelland on a ground ball loaded the bases.  A popout and a strikeout put the Wildcats within one out of getting out of the inning.  But Bleymeyer walked the next batter to force in a run.  A single to left scored another run to tie the game at 3-3.  Bleymeyer got the next batter to pop out to end the rally.

After neither team scored in the seventh, the game headed to extra innings.  Taylor walked to lead off the top of the eighth.  The nest two batters popped out.  Ian Larsen singled and Chuck Gilman walked to load the bases.  Brayden Anderson came in to run for Gilman. With a 1-0 count, Bjelland lined a double to left to score all three runners, making the score 6-3.  After a leadoff single in the bottom of the eighth, Bleymeyer set down the next three batters to end the game and send the Wildcats to another elimination bracket game against the top-seeded Hermantown Hawks.

Once again, none of the runs allowed by Wildcat pitchers were earned.  Starter Taylor went five innings.  He allowed two runs on three hits, walked four and struck out two.  Bleymeyer picked up his second straight playoff win in relief.  In three innings, he allowed one run on five hits, walked one and struck out two.

Hermantown 9, Chisago Lakes 3

The semifinals and finals of the Section 7AAA playoffs were held at Chisago Lakes.  On Tuesday, June 4, the Wildcats lost to the Hermantown Hawks 9-3, ending the season for the Wildcats.  More information abut the game will be in next week’s Press.

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