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Crystal 3, Chisago Lakes 2

In their 2026 opener, the Bulldog town baseball team led 2-0 over the Crystal Cowboys going into the top of the ninth. But a misjudged popup and four errors led to three runs by the Cowboys, and they held off the Bulldogs in the bottom of the ninth inning to come away with a 3-2 win. The game was played on Sunday, April 26 at Chisago Lakes High School.

With the game still scoreless in the bottom of the fourth, Nick Brown and Tyler Stilp led off the inning with back-to-back walks. Alex Wilkey followed with a drive to deep right center. But the runners had to hold up because the ball was almost caught. Wilkey was held to a single – the only Bulldog hit in the game – and the bases were loaded. Beau Fandel popped out for the first out of the inning. Tommy Fitzer grounded into a double play to end the inning.

Nick Pettman and Jack Boeck were hit by pitches to open the bottom of the fifth, and Carson Luxem walked to load the bases. Jeremy Knutson’s ground ball back to the pitcher forced Pettman at home, leaving the bases loaded. Boeck headed home on a wild pitch, scoring on something that was supposed to be a slide. Brown popped out and Stilp walked to re-load the bases. Luxem headed for home on a wild pitch. The ball bounded hard off the backstop, and it looked like Luxem might get thrown out at home. But the speedy Luxem slid in just ahead of the tag from the pitcher, and the Bulldogs led 2-0. Wilkey struck out to end the inning.

The Cowboys opened the top of the ninth with a single. The next batter struck out. Third baseman Stilp ran out to pick up a single to short left. The baserunner went halfway to third, put on the brakes and headed back to second. He should have been thrown out easily, but Stilp’s throw sailed into right field and the runners ended up on second and third. The next batter popped out for the second out. The following batter hit a high popup to short right center. Second baseman Jeremy Knutson had plenty of time to get under it but lost the ball in the bright sky and it dropped in for a single, scoring two runs. On a 1-0 count, the runner on first tried to steal second. A perfect throw by catcher Brown had the runner by 20 feet, but the ball ticked off the end of Knutson’s glove and the runner was safe. The batter then lined a single to left. The baserunner was going to stop at third, but the ball got through left fielder Nick Pettman for an error. The runner raced home and Crystal had a 3-2 lead.  A ground ball to short should have ended the inning, but shortstop Luxem had trouble pulling it out of his glove and both baserunners were safe. Pitcher Cole Hentges struck out the next batter to end the nightmare inning.

Josh Weinzetl hit a grounder back to the pitcher to lead off the bottom of the ninth, but the pitcher threw the ball past the first baseman into right field and Weinzetl was safe. Fitzer sacrificed Weinzetl to second. But Pettman and Boeck popped out to end the game.

Fandel started and went four innings for the Bulldogs, looking great in his first outing of the season. He allowed no runs on one hit, walked one and struck out six. Hentges pitched well but was the hard luck loser in relief.  In five innings, he allowed three runs – two earned – on seven hits, walked none and struck out three.

Chisago Lakes 7, Clear Lake 3

Jack Boeck hit his first career home run, doubled and drove in three runs, and Jacob Mickelson pitched six shutout innings to lead the Bulldogs to a 7-3 win over the Clear Lake Lakers Sunday, May 3 at Goenner Park in Clear Lake. Mickelson was dominant. He allowed just three hits, walked two and struck out eight as his sinking changeup fooled batter after batter.

Tanner Edstrom walked with two outs in the top of the fourth. Boeck drilled a 1-2 pitch high over the left field wall to give the Bulldogs a 2-0 lead. In the top of the fifth, Shay Sanchez singled to center, and Nick Brown beat out a slow roller to third. The speedy Sanchez made it all the away to third. Tanner Edstrom’s hard grounder to second bounced off the second baseman’s glove and rolled into short right field. Sanchez scored, and Brown hustled all the way to third. Boeck flew out to deep left center, scoring Brown scored to make it 4-0.

In the sixth, Josh Weinzetl was hit by a pitch with one out. Mickelson hit a slow roller to third. The third baseman charged, scooped it up, and his off-target throw bounced past the first baseman. Weinzetl ended up on third and Mickelson on second. Sanchez lined a ball toward second. The second baseman tried to catch it right next to the ground, but the ball hit off the tip of his glove and rolled to his left. Sanchez easily reached first and Weinzetl scored to make it 5-0. The Lakers scored in the bottom of the seventh to cut the Bulldog lead to 5-1.

Mickelson walked to lead off the top of the eighth. One out later, Mickelson stole second. Sanchez lined a single to right, and Mickelson stopped at third. Brown popped a Texas League single into short center field, scoring Mickelson to make it 6-1. Eadston struck out. Boeck was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Pettman walked on a 3-2 pitch to drive in Sanchez and the Bulldogs led 7-1. Caleb Leintz hit a two-run homer for the Lakers. A ground out and a pop out ended the game, and the Bulldogs had a 7-3 win.

Bulldog Banter

The next game for the Bulldogs is Tuesday, May 12 at 7 p.m. against the East Bethel Bandits at Chisago Lakes High School.

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