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Chisago Lakes 10, Cambridge 5

Against the Cambridge (formerly Rum River) Bandits, starter Beau Fandel came out after one batter with an arm injury, and Jacob Mickelson came in to relieve. In six innings, winning pitcher Mickelson allowed four runs – only one earned, and the Bulldogs beat the Bandits 10-5 on Wednesday, June 3 at Larson Field in Cambridge.

Alex Wilkey and Tommy Fitzer each had run scoring singles in the top of the first to give the Bulldogs an early 2-0 lead. In the second, with the base loaded and one out, Reed Marquardt’s fly ball to left drove in Carson Luxem. Alex Wilkey popped a single to left to score Brayden Anderson, and Beau Fandel’s infield single to second scored Nick Brown to make the score 5-1. In the third, Tanner Marquardt singled, Carson Luxem walked and Jack Boeck singled to load the bases. Anderson and Brown each drove in a run with a groundout, and the Bulldogs led 7-1. The Bulldogs scored two more runs in the fifth. Tanner Marquardt reached on an error. Two groundouts mover him to third, and he scored on a wild pitch. Brayden Anderson lined a double to left. With Brown at the plate, Anderson took off for third. The catcher’s throw sailed into left field, and Anderson scored easily to make it 9-1.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Bandits took advantage of three hits, a walk, a hit batter, an error, and a sacrifice fly to score four runs, cutting the Bulldog lead to 9-5. With two outs and runners on first and third, Mickelson struck out the last batter he faced in the game to end the rally. Mickelson gave up five hits, walked two and struck out five. Cole Hentges came in for two scoreless, no-hit innings. Fandel lined a single to center to lead off the top of the ninth. Tommy Fitzer reached on a bunt single. Tanner Marquardt sacrificed the runners to second and third. Luxem lined a single to center to score Fandel, and the Bulldogs led 10-5. After the first batter he faced reached on an error, closer Reed Marquardt set down the next three batters in order, including two strikeouts, to seal the win.

Chisago Lakes 5, Quamba 2

Starter Bailey Kasprowicz allowed just two unearned runs in eight innings and Alex Wilkey drove in two runs to lead the Wildcats to a 5-2 win over the Quamba Cubs on Friday, June 5 at Peterson Field in Quamba. Kasprowicz allowed two unearned runs on five hits, walked two and struck out eleven.

Ty Escobedo grounded a single to center with one out in the top of the first and stole second. Brendan Hemr walked. Escobedo stole third and scored on Alex Wilkey’s groundout to first to give the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead. Jeremy Knutson singled to open the top of the second. One out later, Bailey Kasprosicz lined a single to center to move Knutson to second. Knutson moved to third on a wild pitch. Kasprowicz hesitated before taking off from first and was thrown out at second for the second out of the inning. Brayden Anderson hit a ground ball to short and Knutson scored as Anderson reached on an error to make the score 2-0. In the fifth, Escobedo lined a double to center and scored on Wiley’s double to the right field corner to make the lead 3-0.

The Cubs got on the board in the bottom of the fifth. Carter Gmahl popped a single to right and went to second when Wilkey mishandled a pickoff attempt by Kasprowicz. Jagger Steiner hit a ground ball to third. Third baseman Anderson booted it, and Gmahl scored to cut the Bulldog lead to 3-1. Brendan Hemr lined a triple to center to open the top of the seventh. Wilkey and Tommy Fitzer walked to load the bases. Hemr scored on a groundout to second by Jeremy Knutson. One out later, Wilkey scored on a groundout to first by Kasprowicz, and the Bulldogs led 5-1. In the bottom of the inning, Luke Athey Jr. walked with one out. Gmahl bunted and Kasprowicz’ throw sailed into right field. Athey kept running, rounded third and headed for home. Right fielder Fitzer scooped up the ball and fired it to cutoff man Alex Wilkey. Wilkey turned and fired it home. Cather Joey Hemr caught the throw and tagged Athey as he slid around Hemr on the back side of the plate. But the out-of-position umpire said Joey Hemr missed the tag and incorrectly called the runner safe, cutting the Wildcat lead to 5-2. Kasprowicz stopped the rally by setting down the next two batters. In the top of the seventh, Anderson hit a grounder to short. The throw got past the first baseman, and Anderson headed to second. But the Cubs appealed at first, and the umpire ruled that Anderson had missed the base. After Kasprowicz set down Quamba 1-2-3 in the bottom of the eighth, Cole Hentges came in to relieve in the bottom of the ninth. Michael Bailey dropped a single into right field to open the inning. Logan Peterson tried to bunt for a hit, but Hentges pounced on the ball and fired it to first to nip Peterson by half a step. Athey lined a ball to deep center as Bailey took off for third. Center fielder Brendan Hemr made the catch and fired the ball back towards the infield. The ball sailed over second base, and first baseman Wilkey caught the ball near the pitcher’s mound. With Bailey still standing on third, Wilkey jogged to second and stepped on it to complete the double play, ending the game, and giving Hentges the save.

Ogilvie 7, Chisago Lakes 6

In a messy game against the Ogilvie Orioles, the Bulldogs made five errors in the first three innings and fell behind 6-0. Lucas Weinzetl and Reed Marquardt provided excellent relief pitching to allow the Bulldogs to climb back into the game, but the Bulldogs’ comeback fell short as they lost 7-6. The game was played on Sunday, June 7 at Chisago Lakes High School. Cole Hentges started and took the loss. In two innings, he allowed six runs – only two earned – on seven hits and walked one. In four innings, Weinzetl allowed one unearned run on two hits and struck out three. Marquardt finished up with three scoreless innings, allowing just one hit and striking out five.

Ogilvie scored twice in the first inning, with one of the runs unearned due to a passed ball. In the second, with two outs and a runner on third, shortstop Marquardt booted a ground ball and one run scored. A stolen base and a single led to another run. Second baseman Ty Escobedo made an error on a ground ball that kept the inning alive, and a run scored on a subsequent single to make it 5-0. The Orioles scored one more run in the third before Weinzetl came in to pitch and stopped the bleeding. In the bottom of the inning, Brayden Anderson lined a single to left to score Joey Hemr and make the score 6-1.  An error by pitcher Weinzetl on a bunt led to a run in the top of the fifth, and Ogilvie led 7-1.

Brendan Hemr tripled with one out in the bottom of the sixth and scored on a single to left by Marquardt. One out later, Marquardt scored on a triple to the right field corner by Weinzetl. Pinch hitter Jeremy Knutson dropped a Texas-leaguer into right center to score Weinzetl, and the Bulldogs had cut the lead to 7-4. Pinch hitter Jack Boeck singled to right to open the bottom of the seventh. Brayden Andeson hit a ground ball back to the pitcher. The pitcher’s throw to first sailed into right field. Boeck scored and Anderson went all the way to third. Anderson scored on a wild pitch with one out. But Marquardt grounded into a fielder’s choice and Alex Wilkey popped out to end the rally.

Weinzetl singled to lead off the bottom of the eighth. Knutson popped up a bunt attempt for the first out. Joey Hemr was hit by a pitch. Jack Boeck was ordered to bunt with one out and successfully laid down the bunt to move the runners to second and third.  Brayden Anderson struck out looking, and the score remained 7-6. The meat of the Bulldogs’ order came up in the bottom of the ninth. But Escobedo and Brendan Hemr struck out looking. Marquardt was hit by a pitch, but Wilkey grounded out to end the game.

Chisago Lakes 12, Nowthen 1 (seven innings)

Rebounding from their messy loss to Ogilvie, the Bulldogs erupted for six runs in the third inning and added four more in the fifth on their way to a 12-1 win over the Nowthen Knights on Monday, June 8 at Chisago Lakes High School. The game was shortened to seven innings due to the ten-run rule. Jacob Mickelson pitched a complete game to pick up his fourth win of the season. He allowed one unearned run on three hits, walked two and struck out eleven. Brendan Hemr led the Wildcat offence with two triples and a double in three plate appearances.

With two outs in the first inning, Hemr tripled to the wall in right center and scored on a line single to center by Reed Marquardt to give the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead. Calvin Coppersmith doubled to lead off the bottom of the third. After Ty Escobedo walked, Hemer doubled to the wall in deep right center to score Coppersmith. Marquardt and Alex Wilkey walked to load the bases. Hemr was forced at home on a groundout by Tripp Stensrud. Tyler Stilp was hit by a pitch to force in a run. Brayden Anderson singled to left to drive in two runs to make the score 6-0. Caden Coppersmith walked to re-load the bases, Calvin Coppersmith hit a fly ball to deep center to score Stilp, and the Bulldogs led 7-0.

Hemr tripled to lead off the fourth and scored and a sacrifice fly to center by Marquardt. Tanner Marquardt and Ben Clauson walked to open fifth. One out later, Tanner Marquardt scored on a wild pitch and Jeremy Knutson lined a single to center to score Clauson. One out later, with the bases loaded, Tripp Stensrud lined s ingle to left to drive in two more and made the score 12-0. Mickelson’s bid for a shutout was spoiled when a run scored on a two-out error in the top of the seventh. But Mickelson struck out the final two batters of the game to seal the win.

Moose Lake 11, Chisago Lakes 3
Sunday afternoon, June 14, was a beautiful day for a ballgame. Unfortunately, much of the Bulldogs’ starting lineup decided not to come to the game – some for legitimate reasons (honeymoon, family event, work) and some for not so legitimate reasons (being tired because they were up late the night before, for example). The result was an 11-3 home loss to the Moose Lake Buzz, a team the Bulldogs should usually crush.

Starting pitcher Bailey Kasprowicz went eight innings. Only one of the ten runs he allowed was earned. He allowed eight hits, didn’t walk a batter and struck out eleven. He did hit three batters. But seven Bulldog errors let too many of those baserunners score. The lack of the usually powerful and speedy Bulldogs’ lineup means the players had to manufacture the few runs they did score – which actually would have been enough if it wasn’t for the struggles in the field.

Two errors and a passed ball in the first inning helped stake the Buzz to a 4-0 lead. Brayden Anderson walked to lead off the bottom of the first. He stole second and moved to third on a grounder to third and scored on a groundout to the pitcher by Jeremy Knutson to cut the lead to 4-1. Knutson reached on an error to open the bottom of the fourth. One out later, Carson Luxem walked to move Knutson to second. River Bemlott hit a potential double play ball to second. But the shortstop’s relay throw skipped past the first baseman and Knutson scored to make the score 4-2. In the fifth, with Nick Pettman on second and two outs, Tommy Fitzer hit a ground ball deep in the hole to short. He appeared to beat the throw to first, but was called out, ending the inning.

Knutson was hit by a pitch to open the bottom of the sixth and went to second on a wild pitch. One out later, Luxem drilled a double over the left fielder’s head all the way to the wall, scoring Knutson and cutting the Moose Lake lead to 4-3. But the game got away from the Bulldogs as two errors led to two Buzz runs in the sixth and three more errors led to five runs in the eighth, making the score 11-3. And you could tell it wasn’t destined to be the Bulldogs’ day in the bottom of the eighth. Fitzer reached on an error to open the inning. Knutson hit a slow grounder to third, and Fitzer beat the throw to second, putting runners on first and second. Kasprowicz hit a soft line drive to the first baseman. The runners froze. The first baseman dropped the ball. He picked it up as Fitzer took off for third. The first baseman tagged Knutson, who was two steps off the base, stepped on first and fired to third, where the third baseman tagged the sliding Fitzer to complete the triple play. In the ninth, with runners on first and second and no outs, Josh Weinzetl lined into a double play, and one out later the game was over.

Chisago Lakes 13, White Bear Township 7
With a full lineup in place on a rainy Monday evening, the Bulldogs hit well, ran all over the place and overcame an uncharacteristic 13 walks by their pitchers to beat White Bear Township – a team with no nickname – 13-7 at home at Chisago Lakes High School. Reed Marquardt pitched the final 2 1/3 innings to pick up the win. Marquardt also had four hits and drove in four runs. Ty Escobedo also had four hits and drove in three runs. Calvin Coppersmith showed off his tremendous speed, stealing three bases and scoring five runs. And the walks by the Bulldogs pitchers came from the wet conditions, with slippery baseballs being harder to control.

Coppersmith reached on an error to lead off the bottom of the first. He stole second, went to third on a single by Escobedo and scored on a single to left by Marquardt to give the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead. Brayden Anderson hit a grounder to third to open the bottom of the second. The third baseman threw it past the first baseman, and Anderson went all the way to second. Two outs later, Anderson moved to third on a wild pitch. Coppersmith walked. Anderson scored on a wild pitch, and Escobedo drilled a ball into the left field corner for a double, scoring Coppersmith to make the score 3-0. Escobedo walked to open the bottom of the fourth. Marquardt double to left to move Escobedo to third. Lucas Weinzetl lined a single to center to score both runners, and the Bulldogs now led 5-0.

Bulldog starting pitcher Lucas Weinzetl was dominant for the first four innings but ran into trouble in the fifth. With two outs, runners on first and second and one run already in, the next batter doubled to right to drive in two runs to cut the Bulldog lead to 5-3. Joey Hemr came in to relieve and walked both batters he faced to load the bases. Carson Luxem came in to relieve Hemr and got the batter to ground out to first to end the inning. Caden Coppersmith reached on an error to open the bottom of the fifth but was thrown out trying to steal second on a controversial call. Calvin Coppersmith walked, stole second and, one out later, scored on a single to right by Marquardt to make the score 6-3.

The score stayed that way until the top of the seventh. A single and a walk chased Luxem from the game. Reliever Cole Hentges walked the first batter he faced. The next batter hit a sacrifice play to left to drive in one run. The next batter hit a ground ball to third. Third baseman Ben Clauson threw the ball past first baseman Alex Wilkey. A run scored to cut the lead to 6-5, and White Bear Township now had runners on second and third. The next batter lined a single to right. One run scored to tie the score. Left fielder Calvin Coppersmith fired the ball to cutoff man Clauson. Clauson whirled and whipped the ball to catcher Tripp Stensrud. The runner tried to dive around Stensrud, but Stensrud reached out and tagged the runner for the second out of the inning, keeping the score at 6-6. After Hentges walked the next batter, Marquardt came in to relieve and got the next batter to fly out to end the rally.

The Bulldogs didn’t waste any time retaking the lead. Calvin Coppersmith and Escobedo singled with two outs in the bottom of the seventh. Marquardt hit a high fly ball to left center the dropped between two outfielders for a single. Both runners blazed around the bases and scored to give the Bulldogs an 8-6 lead. In the eighth, Wilkey, Stensrud and Anderson singled to lead the bases with no outs. Wilkey scored on a wild pitch, and Clauson walked to re-load the bases. Tanner Edstrom’s grounder to short forced Stensrud out at home but kept the bases loaded. Calvin Coppersmith singled to left to drive in Anderson. Escobedo grounded a single up the middle to drive in two more. Coppersmith and Escobedo advanced to third and second on a wild pitch. Marquardt walked, and Weinzetl hit a sacrifice fly to left to make the score 13-6. Marquardt allowed a harmless run in the top of the ninth to make the final score 13-7.

Bulldog Banter
Reed Marquardt currently leads the Eastern Minny League with a .607 average, and Brendan Hemr is third at .500. Jacob Mickelson and Bailey Kasprowicz are in the top ten in the league in ERA.

The Bulldogs (9-5 overall, 4-2 Eastern Minny League) host the Champlin Park LoGators tomorrow night at 7:30 p.m. at Chisago Lakes High School in a non-league matchup. They will welcome the Minneapolis Warriors to Lindstrom for a 7:30 p.m. clash on Monday, June 22. And in one of the Eastern Minny League’s premier matchups of the season, the Bulldogs will head to Redbirds Field in Isanti to take on the Isanti Redbirds at 7:30 p.m.

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