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Highland Park 8, Chisago Lakes 6

The Bulldog baseball team scored six runs in the top of the sixth inning to take a 6-3 lead, but the Highland Park Beavers came back with five runs in the bottom of the inning and beat the Wildcats 8-6 Sunday, May 17 at McMurray Athletic Fields in St. Paul.

The Beavers scored single runs in each of the first three innings to take a 3-0 lead off starter Bailey Kasprowicz. Reliever River Bemlott held the Beavers scoreless in the fourth and fifth innings. Brayden Anderson walked to lead off the top of the sixth inning and stole second. Ty Escobedo walked. Anderson stole third. The throw to third sailed into left field. Anderson scored and Escobedo moved to second. Escobedo stole third, and Shay Sanchez and Kasprowicz walked to load the bases. Jakc Boeck his a slow roller down the first base line. The pitcher threw him out at first as Escobedo scored to cut the Highland Park lead to 3-2. Sanchez scored on a passed ball to tie the game at 3-3, with Kasprowicz moving to third. On a 3-1 count to Carson Luxem, the squeeze was on. Kasprowicz took off for home, and Luxem dropped down a bunt to easily score Kasprowicz. Luxem reached first on a throwing error by the third baseman and the Wildcats led 4-3. Tom Fitzer reached on an error by the shortstop, with Luxem going to second. Both runners moved up on a wild pitch. After Josh Weinzetl struck out, Jeremy Knutson lined the Beaver relief pitcher’s first pitch up the middles for a two-run single and the Bulldogs led 6-3.

Bemlott struggled in the bottom of the inning. After a double, a hit batter, a walk and another hit batter made the score 6-4, Bemlott was removed for Jack Boeck. A bases-loaded walk and a line single to left tied the score at 6-6. Boeck struck out the next batter. The next batter hit a grounder to short. Luxem flipped the ball to second baseman Escobedo for an out, but the speedy batter beat the relay throw to first, with a run scoring to give the Beavers a 7-6 lead. The next batter hit a grounder to short. Luxem threw it past first baseman Weinzetl, and a run scored to make it 8-6. Boack walked the next batter to re-load the bases. Luxem came in to relieve Boeck and struck out the batter looking on three pitches to end the inning.

Luxem walked to open the top of the eighth inning but was caught stealing for the first out. Fitzer was hit by a pitch. Weinzetl struck out. Knutson reached on an error, but Anderson popped out to first to end the inning. The Bulldogs went 1-2-3 in the bottom of the ninth, losing 8-6.

Luxem turned in an excellent relief performance. In 2 1/3 scoreless innings, he faced the minimum seven batters and threw just 19 pitches. He didn’t allow any hits and struck out one.

Bulldog Banter

The Bulldogs (2-3) will head to the Plants and Things Recreation Complex to play the Elk River Lumberjacks on Monday, May 25 at 4 p.m. On Wednesday, May 27 they will head into Cheeseland to take on the Osceola Braves at 7 p.m. at Oakey Park in Osceola. 

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