July 24, 2025 at 12:26 p.m.
Bulldogs get back on track with three straight wins
Elk River 9, Chisago Lakes 0
Playing at Elk River on Monday, July 14, the Bulldogs ran into a left-handed buzzsaw named Max Loven. Loven shut down the potent Bulldog offense, not allowing a run in seven innings. Meanwhile, the Lumberjacks took a 2-0 lead in the fourth inning and built on it in the sixth and seventh innings, helped along by some shoddy Bulldog defense, and shut out the Bulldogs 9-0. Bulldog starter Beau Fandel pitched a complete game and took the loss for the Bulldogs. He allowed nine runs, only two of which were earned, on ten hits, walked two and struck out 13. In seven scoreless nnings, Loven allowed five hits, walked two and struck out 13.
Loven’s only struggle was with Bulldog third baseman Ty Escobedo, who went three-for-three against the Elk River fireballer. Lumberjack shortstop Jeff Brooks showed why he is considered by some to be the best hitter in the Eastern Minny League. With one out in the sixth inning, he launched a low, inside pitch from Fandel over the left field fence. The Lumberjack added three unearned runs in the sixth and three more in the seventh. The Bulldogs were delighted with the play of recent signee Shay Sanchez, who played second based and had some good at bats against Elk River pitching.
Chisago Lakes 4, Braham 0
Jacob Mickelson pitched a three-hit shutout and Alex Wilkey drove in three runs to lead the Bulldog town baseball team to a 4-0 win over the Braham Snappers Saturday, July 19 at Braham High School.
Mickelson needed just 100 pitches to complete his gem. He struck out eight and did not walk a batter. The Snappers only hit a couple of line drives all game.
Braham’s Jonah Johnson also pitched well, keeping the Bulldogs off the scoreboard until the seventh inning, when the Bulldogs took advantage of a Snapper misplay to score the first two runs of the game. Tanner Marquardt lined the first pitch of the top of the seventh to center for a single. Nate Zingerman struck out. With Brendan Hemr at the plate, Tanner Marquardt moved to second on a wild pitch. The speedy Hemr walked. Reed Marquardt flew out to deep center, and Tanner Marquardt tagged up and went to third. With Alex Wilkey at the plate, Hemr stole second. On a 1-0 count, Wilkey hit a high popup about 40 feet behind third base. Hemr took off hard from second. Inexperienced Braham third baseman Sam Dick lost track of the popup and it fell to the ground untouched. Both Bulldog runners scored, with Hemr crossing the plate without a throw, and the Bulldogs led 2-0.
The Bulldogs added some insurance in the top of the ninth. Tanner Marquardt reached on an error to lead off the inning, and Zingerman sacrificed him to second. After Hemr struck out, Reed Marquardt walked to put runners on first and second. Wilkey singled to left center, scoring Tanner Marquardt and moving Reed Marquardt to third. Tom Fitzer lined a single to center to score Reed Marquardt, making the score 4-0. Mickelson set the Snappers down 1-2-3 in the bottom of the ninth, fittingly striking out his counterpart Johnson for the last out of the game.
Chisago Lakes 18 Ham Lake 2
The Bulldogs pounded out 22 hits and scored seven runs in the first inning on their way to an 18-2 thrashing of the Ham Lake Hornets at Soderville Field in Ham Lake on Sunday, July 20. The game was shortened to seven innings because of the ten-run rule. The Hornets were coming off a two-game winning streak – their first two wins in their two years of existence – but had no answer for the powerful Bulldog lineup.
Brendan Hemr, in yet another Ricky Henderson-like performance, hit two home runs to bring his season total to five. Both home runs were high into the trees that surround the entire outfield, obstructing the fence in many places. Hemr had four hits, scored four runs, drove in three, walked once and stole a base. First baseman River Bemlott had his best game of season with four hits, four RBIs and three runs scored. Reed Marquardt and Ty Escobedo had three hits apiece, and every Bulldog starter had at least one hit. Marquardt drove in four runs, and Jeremy Knutson and recent acquisition Shay Sanchez had two RBIs apiece. Two of Marquardt’s hits were doubles, and Beau Fandel and Tyler Stilp each had a double, as well.
Joey Hemr, making his first start on the mound for the Bulldogs, pitched the first three innings. He allowed just one hit. The hard throwing Hemr walked three but struck out six. Sanchez picked up the win in relief. He didn’t allow a hit in 2 1/3 innings of work. He walked one and struck out four. Jacob Mickelson allowed two unearned runs in 2/3 of an inning. He struck out three, with several passed balls leading to the two Ham Lake runs. Reed Marquardt needed just eight pitches to get through the bottom of the seventh, ending the game. The win cemented the number four seed for the upcoming District 1B playoffs, relegating the North Branch Nighthawks to the fifth seed and allowing the Bulldogs to avoid a play-in game.
Chisago Lakes 8, St. Francis 0
Happy Birthday, Alex Wilkey!
Birthday Boy Wilkey blasted a three run homer to right in the first inning, Cole Hentges and Beau Fandel pitched a combined two-hitter, and the Bulldogs went on to beat the St. Francis Silverbacks 8-0 in the final game of the regular season. Starter Hentges allowed just one hit, a sixth inning bunt single, in six innings of work to pick up the win. He walked three and struck out one as he got the Silverbacks to keep pounding the ball into the ground. Fandel pitched the final three innings to pick up the save. He struck out eight, allowed just one hit, didn’t walk anyone and hit one unfortunate batter.
In the bottom of the fourth, Brendan Hemr lined a single to left to drive in Shay Sanchez, making the score 4-0. In the seventh, Tanner Edstrom scored on a groundout by Joey Hemr to increase the Bulldog lead to 5-0. The Bulldogs put the game well out of reach in the eighth. Hemr walked to lead off the inning, stole second and scored on Tyler Stilp’s line single to left. The unnecessary throw home sailed over the catcher’s head, allowing Stilp to take second. Beau Fandel drilled a double to deep left center, scoring Stilp. One out later, Ty Escobedo doubled down the left field line to score Fandel, making the score 8-0.
Bulldog Banter
The District 1B playoffs start this weekend, with all games being played at Brennan Field in Hinckley. The Bulldogs, 10-5 in the Eastern Minny League this season, will face the Albertville Anglers, the fifth seed from the Sauk Valley League, at 10:30 a.m. If the Bulldogs win, they will face the Cold Spring Springers, the top seed from the Sauk Valley League, at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 27. If they lose, they will play an opponent to be determined at 1:30 p.m. on Saturday, August 2 at 1:30 p.m. If you can’t make it out to the games, check out the NSPN streaming service, which will broadcast selected District 1B tournament games.
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