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Chisago Lakes 12, White Bear Township 6 (7 innings)

The Bulldog town baseball team built a 10-1 lead after four innings and went on to beat White Bear Township 12-6 in seven innings on Tuesday, July 7 at Polar Lakes Park in White Bear Lake. The Bulldogs pounded out 12 hits and took advantage of ten walks and three hit batters. In a complete game win, Cole Hentges allowed six runs (five earned) on ten hits, walked two and struck out three. Brayden Anderson and Calvin Coppersmith drove in two runs apiece to lead the Bulldog offense.

In the top of the second, Caden Coppersmith doubled in a run and later scored on a single by Nate Zingerman to give the Bulldogs a 2-1 lead. The Bulldogs broke the game open with five runs in the third. Brayden Anderson singled to drive in two runs and later scored on a fielder’s choice grounder by Jeremy Knutson to make the score 5-1. Zingerman and Ty Escobedo were hit by pitches to load the bases. Calvin Coppersmith lined a single to left to drive in Knutson. Reed Marquardt walked to force in another run, and the Bulldogs led 7-1. The Bulldogs scored three more runs in the fourth, on an error, Escobedo getting hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and Calvin Coppersmith walking with the bases loaded. Knutson scored on a wild pitch in the top of the sixth to make the score 11-2.

Hentges, meanwhile, had allowed just two hits and two runs (one earned) through five innings before running into trouble in the sixth. With one out and a runner on second, Hentges allowed three straight singles and walk, cutting the Bulldog lead to 11-4. The next batter singled to right to drive in another run. Right fielder Calvin Coppersmith hit cutoff man Reed Marquardt, and Marquardt whirled and threw home to catcher Nick Brown to nip the runner trying to score from second for the second out of the inning. A single drove in another run, but the next batter grounded out to end the rally with the Bulldogs leading 11-6. Nick Brown singed in a run in the top of the seventh. With two outs and towo on in the bottom of the seventh, Hentges struck out the final batter of the game on three pitches, and the Bulldogs had another win over a Class A team.

Hinckley 2, Chisago Lakes 1

Two errors and a baserunning blunder by the Bulldogs led to a 2-1 loss to the Hinckley Knights on Wednesday, July 8 at venerable Brennan Field in Hinckley. Tommy Meyer took the loss for the Bulldogs. In two innings of relief, he allowed one unearned run on two hits, walked two and struck out one. In six innings, starter Jacob Mickelson allowed one unearned run on one hit, walked one and struck out three.

With the game still scoreless on the top of the fourth, Brendan Hemr singled to center with one out and stole second. Beau Fandel walked. With Alex Wilkey at the plate, Hemr stole third.  Two pitches later, Fandel stole second without drawing a throw. But Fandel thought he heard the ball hit the bat for a foul ball and jogged back toward first. Pitcher Dylan Marcolunis threw the ball to first and Fandel was tagged out for the second out of the inning. Wilkey grounded out to end the Bulldog threat.

In the bottom of the sixth, Bryce Erickson hit a line drive at pitcher Mickelson. Mickelson knocked the ball down, moved a couple of steps to his right to pick up the ball and fired it over the head of first baseman Wilkey. Erickson kept running as the ball rolled down the line and ended up on third base. Max Sickler followed with a sacrifice fly to center field, and the Knights led 1-0. With two outs in the top of the seventh, Wilkey doubled to right and Caden Coppersmith came in to pinch run for him. Tyler Stilp dropped a single into left field and Coppersmith scored to tie the score at 1-1. Tripp Stensrud walked, but Brayden Anderson struck out to end the Bulldog rally. In the bottom of the seventh, Isaiah Hasz doubled to left with one out. TJ Johnson followed with a single to left. Hasz was set to stop at third, but Anderson had trouble picking up the ball and Hasz scored to give Hinckley a 2-1 lead.

Fandel walked to lead off the top of the ninth. After Wilkey struck out, Stilp was hit by a pitch. Stensrud flew out to center for the second out, with Fandel advancing to third. But Anderson popped out to second to end the game.

Chisago Lakes 13, North Branch 3 (8 innings)

The seventh annual Pizza Pub Mug game was part of the Karl Oskar celebration this year, and the Bulldogs made the most of it by taking back the Mug with a 13-3 win over the North Branch Nighthawks on Friday, July 10 at Chisago Lakes High School. With the Bulldogs leading 11-3 in the bottom of the eighth inning, Zander Bleymeyer singled in two runs to make the score 13-3, ending the game by the ten-run rule. Bailey Kasprowicz went the first six innings to get the win. He allowed three runs – none earned – on seven hits, walked two and struck out three. Beau Fandel threw two innings of scoreless relief, allowing one hit and striking out four.

With the bases loaded and one out in the bottom of the first inning, Alex Wilkey hit a ground ball to second. Fandel was forced at second, but Wilkey was safe at first on an error and two runs scored on the play to give the Bulldogs a 2-0 lead. The lead ballooned to 6-0 in the second as Brendan Hemr, Reed Marquardt, and Wilkey each singled in a run and Marquardt scored when Wilkey’s single was misplayed by right fielder Dusty Rhodes. In the bottom of the fourth, Marquardt drilled a double to right center to drive in Hemr. With two outs, Tyler Stilp hit a routine grounder to short, but the throw from shortstop Jimmy Skroch bounced in the dirt, allowing Stilp to reach base safely as Marquardt crossed the plate to make the score 8-0. The Bulldogs added two more runs in the fifth on run-scoring singles by Marquardt and Fandel.

The Nighthawks got on the scoreboard in the top of the sixth inning when Noah Thorsen scored on a passed ball. With two outs, and the bases loaded, Tanner Helin lined a single down the third base line to score two runs and cut the Bulldog lead to 10-3. Clint Mattson lined out to right fielder Calvin Coppersmith to end the rally. With the score still 10-3, Fandel was hit by a pitch to lead off the bottom of the eighth. Tommy Fitzer walked. Stilp lined a single to left, scoring Fandel to make it 11-3. Coppersmith walked to load the bases. Nick Brown’s grounder back to pitcher Helin forced Fitzer at home for the first out of the inning, and the bases remained loaded. Tanner Maquardt struck out for the second out. On a 1-2 pitch, Bleymeyer lined a single to right. Stilp scored and the speedy Coppersmith scored right behind him to make the score 13-3, ending the game. After the teams shook hands, Nighthawks manager Jim Skroch handed the Mug over to Bulldogs skipper Chuck Fitzer, whose team lifted him up as the they celebrated winning the Mug for only the second time in the seven-year history if the Mug. Bulldog fans and players continued to celebrate postgame. Many of the fans stayed to watch a screening of the movie The Sandlot at Pat Collins Field, while much of the team headed to the Center City Pizza Pub, where the players over 21 continued the tradition of having the winning team drink beer out of the Mug. The Mug will be displayed at the Center City Pizza Pub until next year’s game, when the Bulldogs will take it to North Branch High School for the eighth annual Pizza Pub Mug Game.

Losing pitcher Lucas Goggin started for the Nighthawks and lasted just one-plus innings.  Nick Pilz came on and pitched six innings, allowing eight runs (six earned). Helin finished up, allowing one earned run in 2/3 of an inning.

Bulldog Banter

The Bulldogs will play their final two league games next week. On Monday, July 20, they will  head to St. Francis High School for a clash with the East Bethel Bandits at 7:30 p.m. And on Wednesday, July 22 they will take on the Mora Blue Devils at 7:30 p.m. at Mora High School. The Bulldogs will play four more non-league games over the ensuing two weeks to get ready for the playoffs.

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