Chisago Lakes Area has gone a perfect 4-0 against Cloquet recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The Wildcats will take on the Lumberjacks at 4:30 p.m. Chisago Lakes Area hasn't scored more than two runs for three games straight, a trend the team is eager to reverse.
The scorekeeper got an easy start on Tuesday as neither Chisago Lakes Area nor Zimmerman made it on the board until the fifth inning. The Wildcats had just enough and edged out the Thunder 2-1. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Wildcats have posted since May 10, 2024.
Zander Bleymeyer
Zander Bleymeyer spent all eight innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered a run (which was unearned) on two hits and racked up seven Ks. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Chisago Lakes Area is 2-1 when he allows at most three earned runs, but 0-4 otherwise.
At the plate, Chisago Lakes Area saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Jadon Greene, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base. Nathan Wehrenberg also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
Meanwhile, Cloquet was not able to break out of their rough patch on Thursday as the team picked up their sixth straight defeat. They fell 10-7 to Hermantown. On the bright side, the seven- run performance marked the Lumberjacks' highest-scoring game to date.
Brody Dushkin made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-5 with two stolen bases, two RBI, and one run. The team also got some help courtesy of Luca Gentilini, who went 1-for-4 with one stolen base and one run.
Chisago Lakes Area's win bumped their record up to 2-5. As for Cloquet, their loss dropped their record down to 1-6.
Chisago Lakes Area came out on top in a nail-biter against Cloquet in their previous matchup back in April of 2024, sneaking past 10-9. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Wildcats since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
