First round loss huge blow to Wildcat chances
River Bemlott and Logan Thorstad pitched a combined four-hitter and allowed just one run against the Forest Lake Rangers. But the Wildcats did not score against the Rangers and lost 1-0 in the final game of the 2023 regular season. The game was played at Chisago Lakes High School Thursday, May 25.
CL third at M8C Championships, NB fifth
The Wildcats girls’ track team finished third in the Mississippi 8 Conference championship held Wednesday, May 24 at Big Lake while the North Branch girls came in fifth. On the boys’ side, the Wildcats came in last out of eight teams and NB seventh. Seventh-grader Annika Hall won the 3200-meter run in 11:37.85, finishing 24 seconds ahead of Makenna Sjoberg of Cambridge-Isanti. She also came in second in the 1600-meter run. And sophomore Catharine Larson won the triple jump with a leap of 34’2”.
Thorsen powers Vikings to 10-2 blowout over Wildcats
The middle of the North Branch Vikings’ batting lineup – Andrew Orf, Sam Robillard, and Noah Thorsen – combined for six hits and drove in seven runs as the Vikings crushed the Chisago Lakes Wildcats 10-2 Tuesday, May 16 at Chisago Lakes. Thorsen started on the mound and went five shutout innings. He allowed just three hits, walked one and struck out six. Carter Drill and Jacob Karnes each pitched an inning, allowing one run each and striking out two apiece. Four Wildcat pitchers gave up a combined 10 hits and walked three Vikings.
Wildcats get revenge on NB, win 3-2 in potential section final preview
Ashley Mandell’s two-run homer in the bottom of the sixth inning put the Chisago Lakes Wildcats up 3-0 over the North Branch Vikings. The Vikings rallied in the sixth and again in the seventh but fell short and lost 3-2 to the Wildcats, resulting in a split in the season series.
CL finishes eighth at true team state
The Wildcats girls finished eighth in the 12-team State Class AA Girls’ True Team track meet, held Saturday, May 20 at Stillwater High School. The only Wildcat to win an event was Annika Hall, whose time of 11:28.74 was over 22 seconds faster than second-place finisher Laina Viere of Rocori.
Chisago Lakes goes 3-1
Jack Walker pitched the best game of the season for the Wildcats so far, allowing just one hit and walking one as the Wildcats shut out the Cambridge-Isanti Bluejackets 10-0 in the first game of a doubleheader Thursday, May 9 at Adolph Larson Field in Cambridge. Walker struck out eight and needed just 62 pitches in the game, which was shortened to five innings because of the ten-run rule.
Chisago Lakes keeps running up victories
Ashley Mandell hit a solo home run with two outs in the first inning to get the Wildcats on the scoreboard and pitched seven strong innings to lead the Wildcats to a 6-2 win over the St. Peter Saints in the first game of a doubleheader on Wednesday, May 3 at Jefferson Fields in St. Peter. With the Wildcats leading 2-1 in the top of the fifth, Melana Larson hit a bases-loaded single to drive in two runs. Melanie Anderson followed with a run-scoring single, and the Wildcats led 5-1. Larson singled in another run in the top of the seventh. Mandell allowed two runs (one earned) on six hits, walked two and struck out seven.
Offense the name of the game for CL and opponents
The rain-shortened 2023 baseball season has been a wild ride for the 5-6 Wildcats. In eleven games, they have scored a remarkable 70 runs, but have also given up 89 runs in that stretch.
‘Cats sweep Sibley East Invite
The Wildcat track teams continue to enjoy one of their best seasons in recent history. Both the boys and girls won the Sibley East Lions Invitational on Friday, May 5, in each case beating out second-place Sibley in the eight-team fields.
Wildcats on a roll, winning 6 of 7
The Wildcat softball team, ranked eighth in Class 3A, is on a roll, winning six of their last seven games as they head toward another potential state tournament experience. They swept a doubleheader at home with the Big Lake Hornets on Tuesday, May 2, winning 7-2 and 8-0. The next day, they headed to Jefferson Fields in St. Peter, winning twice against the St. Peter Saints, 6-2 and 12-1. On Friday, May 5, they suffered their only loss during the seven-game stretch, falling 2-1 at home to the New Ulm Eagles. And this past Tuesday, they headed to Cambridge to play the Cambridge-Isanti Bluejackets and swept their third straight doubleheader, winning 3-0 and 11-5. Details on these games will be in next week’s Press.
‘Cats swept by Magic but rebound to hang 20 on Becker Bulldogs
Poor field conditions due to rain and lingering snow caused cancellation and postponement of Wildcat baseball games throughout April, with the Wildcats limited to just one game until April 25. The Wildcats finally started playing a more-regular schedule starting late in April, with doubleheaders being the order of the day to try to get in as many games as possible in the shortened season. Hitters seem to have an advantage over pitchers, so far. In their recent four game stretch, the Wildcats went 2-2. They scored 33 runs and allowed 38 runs in those four games.
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