Eastern Minny South
 LeagueOverall
TeamRecordHomeAwayRFRAGBWin %StreakRecordRFRA
Chisago Lakes Bulldogs6-13-03-17435-.857Won 36-58474
Isanti Redbirds6-14-02-16923-.857Won 67-48141
North Branch Nighthawks4-13-01-161321.800Lost 14-16132
East Bethel Bandits3-32-11-241462.5.500Lost 13-54961
Elk River Lumberjacks3-42-41-050313.429Won 25-77252
St. Francis Silverbacks1-41-10-328294.200Won 11-42829
Ham Lake Hornets0-60-20-419875.5.000Lost 60-725103
Nowthen Knights0-70-40-326826.000Lost 70-72682

Birds Defeat Snappers

On a very hot afternoon, the Birds held on to defeat the Braham Snappers 9 to 5.  Owen Lamson picked up his first Redbird win shutting out the Snappers the first six innings and striking out 9 hitters.  Brent Tholen pitched 1 and 2/3 innings in relief and Eli Nelson pitched the last 1 1/3 innings to get his first Redbird save.

Packy Lind and Troy Jones started the offence off with solo home runs.  Packy Lind, Owen Lamson and Brandon Kamprud had multiple hit games.

 

Birds Defeat Cambridge Bandits 8 to 1

Behind strong pitchingh of Phil Bray, the Isanti Redbirds defeated the Cambridge Bandits 8 to 1.

 

Birds Come Out Swinging

The Birds had on their hitting shoes last night!  They defeated the Nowthen Pioneers 18 to 3.  Packy Lind (4 hits) and Matt Duong (3 hits) lead the way.  Eli Nelson had 3 RBI's and Blake Wotachek, Owen Lamson and Matt Duong each had 2 RBI's.  Ethan Smith started on the mound and continued to eat up innings for the Birds pitching a complete game.

 

Rainout (Game will be made up on Wednesday, June 25th, 7:30 PM in Mora)

Today's game (June 13th) game with Mora has been rained out.  The game will be rescheduled later today.

 

Redbird Comback

The Birds fell behind in the top of the second inning when the Andover Aces scored 4 unearned runs. But, the Birds answered back in the bottom of the bottom of the second inning when they scored 3 runs and tied up the game with a single run in the third inning.  They went ahead in the fifth inning and got three more runs in the sixth inning.  James Green and Marcus Hubbard each had three hits and Ethank pitched 7 strong innings in relief of Owen Lamson.

 

Redbirds Win Battle of the Birds

The Isanti Redbirds defeated the Ogivie Orioles 6 to 0 yesterday.  Strong pitching from James Green and Ethan Smith, solid defense and some power in the bats helped contribute to the win.  Home runs from Luke Selken, Brent Tholen and Troy Jones helped generate the Birds offense.

 

Birds Come-Back Win

The Birds came from behind to defeat the Elk River Lumberjacks 4 to 3 in 10 innings.  Phil Bray pitched all 10 innings striking out 18 batters and giving up only 1 earned run.  It was a mixture of young Birds and veteran Birds combining for the win.  With the score tied, Troy Jones got on base on an error.  Troy stole second base and then scored on a single by Owen Lamson.  It was a very well played game by both teams.

 

Brds Bounce Back!

The Birds bounced back and beat Ham Lake 23 to 0.  Ham Lake pitchers struggled with their control giving up 15 bases on balls.  The Birds also had a season high 16 hits!  The offense was lead by Packy Lind, Brent Tholen, Eli Nelson and Phil Bray each having 3 hits!  Phil Bray pitched a complete game that was shortened to 5 innings and picked up the win.  Bray only gave up one hit, walked none and struck out 13 batters.

 

Ouch! 

Birds lose to Chisago Lakes 12 to 2!

 

Centennial Defeat the Birds

Centennial came to Isanti last night and handed the Birds a 3 to 0 loss.  The Birds could manage only 5 hits but solid defense and good pitching kept the game close.  It doesn't get any easier with the Birds traveling to Lindstrom for a Friday night game with the Chisago Lakes Bulldogs.

 

Coon Rapids Redbirds Defeat Isanti Redbirds

The Coon Rapids birds defeated the Isanti birds last night 8 to 3.  James Green pitched the first three scoreless innings.  James struck out 8 batters in the three innings that he pitched.  James Harcey pitched the next 2 2/3 innings.  This was James first time back on the mound in two years.  James struggled a little with his control, but constantly either worked out of trouble or limited the Coon Rapids team from having real big innings.  Brent Tholen and Ethan Smith finished up on the mound.  But, the Coon Rapids team was allowed to put up 5 unearned runs over the last two innings.  The Isanti offense was lead by the middle of their line-up with Troy Jones, James Green, Brent Burman and Ethan Smith leading the way.

 

Forest Lake Hands Birds First Loss of the Season

The Forest Lake Brewers defeated the Birds 3 to 1.  It was a very well played game with two pitchers facing off against each other.  Isac Roars for the Brewers and Phil Bray for the Birds.  Forest Lake got one run in the second inning but the Birds tied it in the fourth inning on a double by Troy Jones, James Green moved him over to third base with a sacrifice fly and Matt Duong drove him in on a fielders choice.  The Brewers went ahead with an unearned run in the seventh inning.  Eli Nelson gave up one run in the eigth inning and Brent Tholen pitched a scoreless ninth inning.  The Birds could manage only five hits off of Roars.  The hits came from Jones, James Green, Matt Duong, Packy Lind and Luke Selken.  The Birds now travel to Coon Rapids to play the Coon Rapids Red Birds on this up-coming Thursday.

 

First Game -  Sunday, May 18th

The Birds open the season on Sunday, May 18th at 4:00 PM at home against the Forest Lake Brewers!  Looking forward to seeing you there.

 

2025 Schedule Almost Complete

The 2025 schedule is now nearly completed.  It is posted on the Eastern Minny web site.  It's a very tough schedule and a good schedule!  The Birds first practice is Saturday, April 12th.

 

2025 Season

The 20025 seson is just around the corner.  Our schedule is just about complete.  Teams that still want to schedule games with the Birds sould contact us in the very near future.  Players who are interested in playing with the Birds this summer should contact Steve Allen at sallen958@gmail.com or 763-286-6328.

 

There have been some significant changes in amateur baseball and the Eastern Minny League this year.  The Minnesota Baseball Association has gone back to having three Classes: Class A, B and C. 

  * Some of the Eastern Minny teams will be in Class C (Braham, Cambridge [formerly Rum River], East Bethel, Ham Lake, Nowthen, Mora, Ogilvie, Quamba and St. Francis).

  * Some in Class B (Chisago Lakes, Hinckley, Isanti, North Branch and Princeton).

  *  One team will be in Class A (the Elk River team and the Ramsey team have merged and will be the only Eastern Minny Team in Class A) 

 

Regardless of classification, each team will play every team in the Eastern Minny one time.  At the end of the year, when it comes time for sectional tournaments, teams will be divided into sections based on their classifications.  The Eastern Minny Class B teams will merge with the Sauk Valley Class B teams (Sartell Stone Poneys, St. Joseph Joes, Sauk Rapids Cyclones, Cold Spring Springers and the Monticello Polecats) for their sectional tournament.

 

It should be a very interesting summer of amateur baseball!

 

Season Ends With 8-1 Loss to Courtland Cubs

Our season came to a sudden halt when the Birds loss to the Courtland Cubs 8 to 1 in the MBA State Tournament.  The Birds finished the season with an overall record of 18 wins and  5 losses.  Even though we did not play well in the state tournament, the Birds have a lot to be proud of!  

 

*  Don't forget that the Birds started the season losing 11 players off of their 2023 roster!  At one point, we did not know if we would even have enough players to field a team. 

 

*  The Birds started finding players to "fill in the holes".  Packy Lind came out of retirement, Troy Jones came over from the Mora Blue Devils and Eli Nelson came to us from Zimmerman and they helped solidify our infield.  Luke Selken and Marcus Hubbard plugged the hole behind the plate.  We added players that started giving us some depth like Sam Tellers, Chris Carpenter, Colton Abrahamson, Cole Kubesh and Taylor Snow.  James Harcey was injured most of the year, but he finally started getting playing time when he was medically cleared to play.  Mitch Dunbar came out of retirement to give us a "spark" that we needed.  Tommy Heifort and Jake Rantz kept the flames going when they were finally able to start playing with us.

 

*  The Birds held it together with the support of the veteran players like Dan Hamann, Matt Duong, Packy, Bud Heifort and Chris Olean who never let us lose site of the season.  We scraped together wins during the season that were not always pretty, but we continued to win with the veteran players continuing to encourage the younger players. 

 

*  Phil Bray and James Green were no doubt, the heart of our pitching staff.  But, we would have never got through the season with out all the other players who made trips to the mound for us.  Even though Phil and James got the wins in 12 of our 18 victories, you have to look back at our whole pitching staff that held us together.  This included Connor Braaten, Chris Olean, Tyler Gustafson, Bud, Carp, Brent Tholen as well as Phil and James!

 

*  For the most part, all season long, we stuck together and won as a team!  We won with solid pitching, excellent defense and timely offense.  If you look just at individual batting averages, our offense was lead by James, Connor and Packy.  But the offense was really lead by numerous individuals getting quality at-bats, moving runners along and manufacturing runs.

 

Thank you for all that each and everyone of you has done this year.  We've needed and appreciated all of you!

 

State Tournament Update

The Courtland Cubs defeated the Richmond Royals.  So, we now know that we will play the Courtland Cubs on Sunday, August 25th at 11:00 AM in Belle Plain.  You ask who are the Cubs and where do they come from?  Courtland is just South of New Ulm and they play in a very good Tomahawk East League.  This should be a very competitive game between two very good teams.

 

For your information, each team entering the State Tournament is allowed to draft three pitchers from other teams in their Section.  The Birds have drafted Isaiah Brennan and Ben Sickler from the Hinckley Knights and Derek Graves from the Mora Blue Devils.  Teams entering the State Tournament can draft three pitchers from other teams in their league. 

 

State Tournament Information

This year's State Amateur Baseball Tournament will be held at the playing field located in Belle Plain, Green Isle and Jordan.  You can find the brackets for both Class C and Class B on the Minnesota Amateur Baseball website.  The Redbirds received a bye in the first round of the tournament and will play their first game on Sunday, August 25th at 11:00 AM in Belle Plain against the winner of the Courtland Cubs and the Richmond Royals.

On to the State Tournament!

The Birds qualified for the Minnesota State Amateur baseball tournament by defeating the Princeton Panthers 3 - 0 last night.  Phil Bray pitched all nine innings and the Birds backed him up with excellent defense.  The Birds picked up one run in the fifth inning on a walk to Brent Tholen, followed by an excellent bunt by Tommy Heifort.  With two outs, Packy Lind lined a single to right field to drive in the run.  The Birds kept the 1 to 0 lead until the top of the ninth inning when they picked up two more insurance runs.  Tholen again lead off with a walk.  Tommy Heifort again laid down a great bunt.  Sam Tellers pinch hit for Luke Selken and got on base with a walk.  Then with two outs, Packy Lind and Jake Rantz drove in the two insurance runs.

 

Birds Get Win Over Knights

There was a great amateur baseball game in Hinckley tonight.  The Hinckley Knights and the Isanti Redbirds went "toe to toe"!  The Birds opened with three runs in the 4th inning.  But the Knights came back with two runs in the 5th inning and tied it up with a single run in the 6th inning.  It stayed that way until the Birds manufactured a run in the bottom of the 9th inning to get the win.  James Green pitched the first 6 innings, he was followed by Brent Tholen and Chris Olean with Olean picking up the win.  Jake Rantz, James Green, Connor Braaten and Matt Duong all had multi-hit games.  Matt Duong drove in the winning run in the bottom of the 9th inning.

The Birds will now play Princeton on Friday night, August 9th at 7:00 PM in Hinckley.

 

Birds Get Past Cubs

The Birds played a veery good Quamba Cubs team in the second round of their Sectional Tournament.  Strong pitching by Phil Bray and timely hitting by James Green helped produce a 3 to 0 win for the Birds. The Birds now play Hinckley tomorrow (Sunday) at noon in Hinckley.

 

Birds Defeat Snappers

The Birds defeated the Braham Snappers 15 to 0 in the first round of their Sectional Tournament.  Phil Bray picked up the win on the mound.  The Offense was lead by many different players with James Green and Packy Lind having multi-hit nights.  Brent Tholen also contributed with a two-run homer in the fifth inning.  The Birds will play Quamba in their second Sectional Tournament game next Saturday at 12 noon up in Hinckley.

 

Isanti Ends Season With Two Wins

The Birds ended the regular season with wins over Elk River and East Bethel and an overall record of 14 wins and 4 losses.  The Birds record in Eastern Minny league play was 12 wins and 3 losses.  The Birds now enter the Section1C Tournament starting with a game agains Braham on Saturday, July 27th at 6:00 PM in Hinckley.  If we win, this will be our only game this week.  The Regional Tournament Bracket will be posted on the Eastern Minny website hopefully tonight or tomorrow.

 

Hinckley Defeats Birds

The Hinkley Knights defeated the Birds 5 to 0.  Hinckley pitcher, Isaiah Brennan threw a no-hitter for the Knights and recorded 17 stike outs.  It's been a real long time since any opponent has no-hit the Birds in this fashion.  Phil Brey pitched another very good game and deserved a better fate.  Only 3 of the Hinckley runs were earned runs.

 

Birds Travel to Ogilvie and Get a 13 to 2 Win 

The Birds traveled to Ogilvie on a warm Sunday afternoon.  James Green started on the mound for the Birds and was in complete control.  James pitched the first six innings giving up only 3 hits while striking out 11 batters.  Matt Duong came in to pitch the last three innings for the Birds.  Mean while, the Birds picked away at the Orioles, getting 1 run in the first inning, 3 runs in the second inning, 2 runs in the fifth inning, a solo run in the seventh inning  and 3 runs in the eighth and ninth innings.  The Orioles got there two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning.  The Birds offense was lead by Troy Jones who went 3 for 4 (with 2 home runs and 5 RBI's); Eli Nelson who went 2 for 4 with 1 RBI and Connor Braaten who wenty 2 for 2 with 1 RBI.  A defensive play of the game went to Cole Kubesh who made a beautiful diving stop of a ball that was hit behind third base and got up and threw the runner out at first base.

 

Birds Defeat Chisago Lakes

The Birds defeated Chisago Lakes 5 to 3.  It was a close game all night.  Eli Nelson pitched the first 6 innings for the Birds.  He was followed by Tyler Gustafson and Brent Tholen.  All night the Birds had to scrap and manufacture runs.  Marcus Hubbard had the hot hand with the bat going 3 for 4.

 

Birds Win!

The Birds defeated Princeton 4 to 3.  It was a game of strong pitching on both sides.  The Birds scored one run in the top of the second inning, but Princeton came back with three runs in the bottom of the second inning.  The game stayed 3 to 1 until the fifth inning when the Birds got one run across the plate.  The Birds then tied Princeton 3 to 3 in the top of th 6th inning and then took the lead in the same inning.  Phil Bray pitched a complete game for the Birds striking out 13 Princeton batters.  Luke Selken had 3 hits for the Birds and Connor Braaten had 2 hits.  Brandon Kamprud scored 2 of the Birds 4 runs.

 

Birds Lose a Close Game

Just the opposite of the previous game, the Birds lost a close game to Ramsey 4 to 3.  Unlike the Quamba game, the Birds were not quite as sharp defensively and weren't able to move runners around the bases.  But, give Ramsey credit, they played better enough to deserve the win.  James Green started on the mound and took the loss.  Matt Duong came in to pitch the last 3 2/3 innings.  Connor Braaten had a good night at the plate going 3 for 4.  Next up, the Birds travel to Princeton on Wednesday night.

 

Birds Win a Close Game

The Birds defeated a very good Quamba team 2 to1 today on a very warm Saturday afternoon.  Phil lBray pitched a complete game, giving up only 5 hits and striking out 12 batters.  The Birds played small ball, manufacturing single runs in the second  and third innings.  Matt Duong got on base with a walk, Brandom Kamprud moved him over to second with a sacrifice bunt.  Eli Nelson then brought him hom with a single.  In the third innings, Tyler Gustafson got on base with a single, he then stole second base and moved to third on an infield out.  Tyler then scored on a sacrifice fly by Packy Lind.  The Birds now play Ramsey tomorrow (Sunday, July 7) at 5:00 PM in Isanti.

 

Birds Defeat Shoreview 5 to 2

The story of the game was teamwork!  There were some big offensive plays like Brent Tholen's home run and Packy Lind's two doubles.  But, it was the defensive efforts by the team and solid pitching that won the game.  Brent Tholen started on the mound pitching 4 innings and was followed by Tyler Gustafson who pitch 2 2/3 innings.  James Green came in to get the last Shoreview batter out.

 

Birds Defeat Nowthen 14 to 4

The offense was lead by Luke, Troy, James, Brent and Brandon!  Together they had 17 hits in 24 at-bats.  Bud Heifort came in relief to pitch the last 5 1/3 innings to pick up the win.

 

North Branch Defeats the Birds

The Birds came out on the short end of a wild game tonight, losing to North Branch 11 to 9.  North Branch knocked out Redbird pitcher, James Green in the first inning when James was hit on the elbow of his throwing arm by a wild throw.  The Redbird pitchers struggled keeping North Branch off the bases, giving up 8 walks, 2 hit batsmen and 14 hits.  But the Birds didn't give up, they kept battling offensively, eventually tieing the game in the bottom of the 8th inning.  North Branch came back with two runs in the top of the 9th to win the game.

 

Birds Hold On To Defeat St. Francis

The Birds defeated St. Francis 5 to 4 last night.  The Birds appeared to be coasting with a 5 - 0 lead, but St. Francis fought back with 4 runs in the top of the ninth inning to make the game end in a nail-biter.  James Green pitched the first 6 innings, giving up only 2 hits and striking out 11 batters.  Eli Nelson pitch the next 2 2/3 innings.  Eli appeared to be in control, but with two outs, St. Francis started their rally.  With the potential tying and go ahead runners on second and third base, Brent Tholen came in to strike out the last St. Francis batter and picking up the save.

 

Today's game with Quamba Cancelled

Today's game (6/15/24) with Quamba has been cancelled.  We'll have the rescheduled date posted in the next day or two.  The 'Birds play St. Francis next Wednesday ((6/19/24) in Isanti at 7:30 PM.  Please note that the game is in Isanti.

 

Tough Win Tonight

The Birds won a tough game tonight against the Mora Blue Devils tonight by a score of 6 to 1.  The score is not indication of how the game went.  Derrick Graves for Mora and Phil  Bray for the Birds were in a pitching battle early on.  Mora got a run in the first inning to hold a 1-0 lead for the first four and one half innings.  But, in the bottom of the fifth inning, the 'Birds put two runs on the board to go ahead 2 to 1.  They managed to put two more runs on the board in both the sixth and seventh innings as well.  The 'Birds were high lighted by some agressive base running and two-out hitting.  Offensively, the 'Birds had a lot of different players contributing with Brent Tholen and Troy Jones picking up 2 hits each and driving in 3 of the 6 runs.  Mean while Phil kept the Blue Devils off the scoreboard for the rest of the game.  Phil pitched all nine innings for the Birds, giving up only 4 hits and striking out 13 batters.

 

Stong Pitching and Just Enough Offense!

The 'Birds got strong pitching from Brent Tholen and James Green, keeping the Braham Snappers limited to one run over the nine innings.  The 'Birds had chances to score, but the Snappers played very good defense and also got strong pitching from Tyler Stepp.  The 'Birds managed to put five runs on the Board in the third inning.  Troy Jones lead off with a double.  Matt Duong singled him home for the 'Birds first run.  Brent Tholen then hit a double scoring Duong.  Sam Tellers, Brandon Kamprud and Eli Nelson then picked up individual RBI's to cap the 5 run inning.  Eli Nelson finished with three hits and Troy Jones, James Green and Matt Duong each collected two hits each. 

 

Make Up Game With North Branch

The May 31st Rain Out with North Branch has been re-scheduled for Thursday, June 27th in Isanti at 7:30 PM.

 

Rain, Rain Go Away!

The 'Birds tried to play a game last night against the East Bethel Bandits.  The game was in trouble all night long, dodging rain drops.  After three innings of play, with the 'Birds leading 11-0 Mother Nature played her trump card with lightening and a quick and down pouring of rain.  It was too much for both teams so they agreed to continue the game on Friday, June 21st in Isanti at 6:00 PM.

 

Birds Win!

The 'Birds took a little time to get going, but a big 5th inning helped propel them to a nice win over the Rum River Bandits this afternoon.  The 'Birds were a little short handed today, but a lot of veteran and new Redbird players helped contribute to the win.  James Green and Eli Nelson held the Bandits to just 3 hits and no runs in the 5 inning shortened game.  Matt Duong had 4 RBI's and the rest of the RBI's were distributed amongst five other players.  The Birds continued to play solid defense, they had no errors in today's game.  Next up, the Birds play East Bethel next Wednesday in Isanti. 

 

Rainout!

We're sorry that tonight's game was rained out!  Both teams wanted to play, but Mother Nature is a tough compeitor!  We'll reschedule this game within the next few days.  The 'Birds will now play the Rum River Bandits on Sunday at Larson Field in Cambridge at 2:00 PM.

 

Centennial Defeats the Redbirds

A very strong Centennial team came to Isanti and handed the 'Birds a 11 to 3 loss.  The Cougars should be one of the stronger teams in the Metro Minny this year.  The 'Birds played hard and hung in there the whole game while facing some very exceptional Centennial pitching.  Matt Duong, Eli Nelson, Phil Bray, Chis Carpenteer and Bud Heifort pitched for the 'Birds.

 

The 'Birds will now play North Branch this Friday at 7:30 PM in Isanti.  Phil Bray will start on the mound for the 'Birds.

 

Birds Win Home Opener

The Birds defeated the Ham Lake Hornets by a lop-sided score last night.  It was a night that the 'Birds could do no wrong. To their credit, the Hornets played hard even when the score got out of hand.  Next game for the 'Birds is next Wednesday, May 29th when the Centennial Cougars come to Isanti.

 

Home Opener May 22nd

The Birds open the 2024 season with a game next Wednesday, May 22nd at 7:30 PM against the Ham Lake Hornets.  The game will be played at Redbird field in Isanti.  Admission is free and the concession stand will be open.  Come and join us for a night of amateur baseball.  Hope to see you at the ball park!

 

 

Birds and CICB Hold Youth Pitching and Catching Clinics

 

 

 

 

First Practice - Season Begins!

The Birds will be having their first practice on Sunday, April 21st. We have had an extremely large turnover of players this year.  We have lost numerous high quality ball players  due to retirement, moving or changing teams.  Gone are Joe Tuholsky, TJ Wink, Logan Kalis, Wyatt Soderquist, Mitch Dunbar, Jon Dunnick, Jaxson Skoglund, Ethan Smith, Charlie Wonser and Nick Hoffman.  They will truly be missed.  But, we're looking forward to the new players who will be joining (or re-joining us) this year.  This includes Marcus Hubbard, Colton Abrahamson, Packy Lind, Chris Carpenter, Sam Tellers, Troy Jones, Cole Kubesh, Tommy Heifort and Dmitry Bengtson.  I hope that I haven't forgot anyone!

 

Our first game is Wednesday, May 22nd, 7:30 PM in Isanti against the Ham Lake Hornets.

 

Redbird/CICB Youth Clinics

The Birds will again be assisting the Cambridge-Isanti Competive Baseball Association (CICB) with their annual youth clinics.  The clinics will be held at the Redbird field in Isanti and all clinics will be held from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM.  The clinics are as follows:

Saturday, April 27th, Pitching and Catching

Saturday, May 4th, Hitting

Sunday, May 5th Fielding

 

For more information, contact CICB or Steve Allen at sallen958@gmail.com or 763-286-6328.

 

Interested Players for 2024 Season

The Birds have a few roster positions available for the 2024 season.  If you're interested, please contact Steve Allen at sallen958@gmail.com or 763-286-6328.

 

Congratulations to Phil Bray and Logan Kalis

Congratulations to Phil Bray and Logan Kalis for being drafted to pitch in the 2023 State Amateur Baseball Tournament!  Phil will be playing for the Chisago Lakes Bulldogs and Logan will be playing for the Hinckley Knights.  Good luck guys!

 

Birds Eliminated from Sectional Tournament

The Birds were eliminated from the Section 1C Tournament by the East Bethel Bandits 5 to 4.  The Birds fell behind 4 to 2 in the fourth inning.  The Birds  struggled with getting their offense going.  They finally tied the game in the seventh inning.  Logan Kalis got on base after being hit by a pitch.  After two were out, Brent Tholen got on base on an error.  Then the Birds got three consecutive singles by Connor Braaten, Ethan Smith and Luke Selken to tie the game.  But, the Bandits took back the lead in the top of the ninth inning and won the game 5 to 4.  Matt Duong and Connor Braaten each had 3 hits.  Ethan Smith and Luke Selken had each had 2 hits.  This ends the 2023 Redbird season.  We would like to thank the players, their families and all of the fans who have supported us this year.  We hope to see you next year!

  

Birds Lose First Game in Sectional Tournament

The Birds lost to North Branch 3 to 0 in their first round game of their sectional tournament.  Phil Bray pitched a complete game for the Birds, striking out 17 North Branch hitters.  However, the Birds could only get 2 hits off of North Branch's pitcher Jordan Axberg.  The Birds continue with sectional play next Saturday.  The game will be at 11:00 AM in Princeton.  The opponent is not known at this time.  The sectional tournament is a double elimination tournament.

 

Birds Hold Off Cubbies

The Birds held off the Quamba Cubs 5 to 4.  The Birds picked up 5 quick runs in the 1st and 2nd innings, but had to hold off the Cubs right until the final out was made.  Ethan Smith picked up the win on the mound pitching the first 6 1/3 innings.  James Green and Brent Tholen pitched the last 2 2/3 innings with Tholen picking up the Save.  Logan Kalis hit a home run in the second inning for the Birds and Mitch Dunbar had two hits, scored two runs, stole a base and drove in one run.  Luke Selken also had two hits and a walk and one RBI.  The Birds open up the Section Tournament on Saturday, July 29th at 5:00 PM when they play the winner of the Rum River vs North Branch game.  The Sectional Tournament will be held in Princeton.

 

Birds Defeat Chisago Lakes

The Birds defeated Chisago Lakes 7 to 2 behind strong pitching of Logan Kalis and timely hitting.  Wyatt Soderquist hit a solo home run in the first inning and Connor Braaten hit a two run homer in the 6th inning.  In between numerous players contributed to moving runners around the bases.

 

Nighthawks Give Birds a Scare

The North Branch Nighthawks gave the Birds a real scare last night.  The Nighthawks jumped out to a 1 to 0 lead in the first inning.  The Birids tied it in the third inning only to have the Nighthawks put two runs on the board in the fifth inning for a 3 to 1 lead.  The Birds finally got going in the sixth inning scoring two runs to tie it up and thene posted three more runs in the eighth inning to move ahead with the final score of 6 to 3. Phil Bray pitched a complete game to get his 6th win of the season and struck out 14 North Branch hitters.  Luke Selken was 2 for 3 with 3 RBI's, Joe Tuholsky was 2 for 4 and had 1 RBI and James Green was 2 for 5 with 1 RBI.

 

Birds' Game With Chisago Lakes Rained Out and Rescheduled

The Birds' game with Chisago Lakes was cancelled last night due to rain and rescheduled to Saturday, July 22nd at 6:00 PM in Isanti.  To the Birds last three games (before the sectional tournament) will be:

 

Friday, July 21 vs North Branch at 7:30 PM in Isanti

Saturday, July 22 vs Chisago Lakes at 6:00 PM in Isanti

Sunday, July 23 vs Quamba at 2:00 PM in Quamba

 

Birds Come-Back

The Birds came back from a 3 - 0 deficit to defeat the North Branch Nighthawks 8 - 6. The Nighthawks, behind starting pitcher, Jordan Axberg, we're cruising along with a 3-0 lead and the five innings. But, the night Nighthawks defense started to falter and the Birds started getting a few clutch hits. The Birds scores 1 run in the 6th inning, 3 in the 7th inning and 4 in the 8th inning. James Green had three hits, Mitch Dunbar had two hits, Wyatt Soderquist had three RBIs and Ethan Smith had two RBIs. Ethan Smith started on the mound and pitched the first five innings and James Green pitched the last four innings to pick up the win.

 

Birds Defeat Panthers 2-0
The Isanti, Redbirds and the Princeton Panthers played a very competitive and spirited game last night. The Birds got the first run of the game in the fifth inning on a solo home run by Connor Braaten. The Birds manufactured their second run in the seventh inning. It was started by a pinch hit single by Bud Heifort. Heifort came across the plate on a sacrifice fly by Ethan Smith.  Phil Bray pitch the first seven innings and got the win. Chris Olean pitched the eighth inning, and Brent Tholen pitched the ninth and picked up a save. James Green led the Birds offense with three hits and a double. There were numerous defensive plays that kept the Panthers off the scoreboard.
 
No game tonight, Ham Lake had to foreit the game because of lack of players!
The Birds will practice tonight at 7:00 PM
 
Birds Battle Renegades
The Birds defeated a much improved Ramsey Renegades team 6 to 1.  But, the game was much closer that the final score.  The Birds got two runs in the top of the third inning, but Ramsey came back with one run in the bottom of the third.  The game stayed at 2 to 1 until the Birds got another run in the seventh inning and two more runs in the top of the ninth inning.  Ethan Smith pitched a complete game and struck out 15 Ramsey batters.  Joe Tuholsky and Wyatt Soderquist collected seven of the nine Isanti hits.  Solid defense was once again important in this win.
 
Birds Have Slow Start But Get the W
The Birds didn't get their first run until the forth inning, but once they got going, the offense came alive with a 10 to 6 win over the East Bethel Bandits.  Phil Bray kept the Birds in the game until they could start scoring runs.  Bray pitched 8 innings giving up only 3 hits and 2 runs (only 1 earned run).  Jaxson Skoglund started the 9th inning, but had some control problems.  Joe Tuholsky came in to get the save by striking out the last East Bethel runner with the bases loaded.
 
There were numerous offensive contributors.  Ethan Smitch went 2 for 3 and had 3 RBI's.  Jaxson Skoglund had 3 hits and 2 stolen bases.  Joe Tuholsky, Connon Braaten and Charlie Zak each had 2 hits.
Next up, the Birds travel to Ramsey on Sunday for a 1:00 PM game.
 
Birds Defeat Bandits
The Rum River Bandits jumped ahead of the Birds with 2 runs in the second inning.  But, the Birds answered with 3 runs in the fourth inning and 7 runs in the fifth inning.  James Green came into relieve Brent Tholen in the second inning.  He shut down the Bandits for the next 5 1/3 innings.  James Harcey then finished the game by pitching two scoreless innings.
 
Offensively, the Birds were lead by Jaxson Skoglund (2 for 3 inclduing a 3 run homer and 4 RBI's); Wyatt Soderquist (2 for 3 including a triple); Luke Selken (3 for 5); Matt Duong (2 for 4) and James Green (2 for 5).  The Birds will now travel to St. Francis on Friday to play the East Bethel Bandits on Friday. 
 
Birds Lose in Bottom of 9th Inning
The Redbirds were defeated by the Chisago Lakes 2 to 1 when Chisago Lakes scored 2 runs in the bottom of the 9th inning.  Logan Kalis pitched a great game into the ninth inning.  He had to come out after he pulled a hamstring muscle on a bang-bang play at first base.  Chisago Lakes was then able to manufacture two runs off of Ethan Smith to pick up the win.  The Chisago Lakes team is a much improved team that has a very good pitching staff.  The Birds only had ten players but they played with a lot of heart.  Ethan Smith and James Green lead the 'Birds with two hits.  I would be remiss not to mention all the great defensive plays in this game.  It was an excellent amateur baseball game that unfortunately, the Birds came out on the short end.
 
Birds Get By Bandits
The Redbirds defeated the Rum River Bandits 5 to 0 behind the shutout pitching of Phil Bray.  Bray struck out 12 batters and pitched a complete game.  Matt Duong got the Birds on the board with a solo home run in the second inning.  Brent Tholen drove in James with a double in the sixth inning.  The Birds then got two more runs in the seventh inning and one more in the eighth inning to complete the scoring.  Joe Tuholsky had three hits and Brent Tholen and James Green each had two hits.
 
Game at Quamba Cancelled
The game tonight (Sunday) has been cancelled due to very heavy rains.  We want to thank the Cubbies for all their work attempting to play the game.  Mother Nature just won this game!  The Rum River Bandits come to Isanti this Wednesday for a 7:30 PM game.
 
Birds Lose to Delano Athletics 7 to 6 
The Birds lost a close game to the Delano Athletics this evening.  It was a very evenly played game with Delano coming out on the top with three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning.  Mitch Dunbar went 4 for 5 with 2 stolen bases.  Wyatt Soderquist had three RBI's.  Brent Tholen and Jeff Bowman each had two hits.  Jaxson Skoglund pitched the first four innings, John Donnick picked three and a third innings and Joe Tuholsky pitched the last two-thirds of an inning.
 
Hinckley Defeats the Birds 3 to 2
The Birds took a 2 to 0 lead in the fourth inning on a two run home run by Wyatt Soderquist.  Logan Kalis was cruising along until the eighth innning.  After their leadoff man got on base, James Green came in to relieve Kalis.  Back to back double quickly tied the game for Hinckley.  They then went ahead on a Redbird defensive error taking the lead at 3 to 2.  The Birds tried to ralley in the bottom of the eighth, but couldn't get another run across the plate.
 
Birds Come Back!
The Birds dug themselves a huge hole, trailing the Braham Snappers 7 to 1 after 3 innings.  However, the Birds kept nibbling away, picking up single runs in the fourth and fifth innings.  Then in the 6th inning they put together a big 5 run inning to 8 to 7.  They then got two more runs in the 7th inning while the Snappers picked up one run in the 8th inning.  Jon Dunnick started the game on the mound, Connor pitched the middle 6 2/3 innings to get the win and Brent Tholen pitched the last 1 2/3 innings to pick up his first save of the summer.
 
Birds and Blue Devils Go 10 Innings
The Birds and the Blue Devils went toe to toe for 9 innings tied at 3 to 3.  Mora's Bryce Norby and Isanti's Phil Brey were locked in a pitcher's dual.  But, the Birds finally broke loose in the top of the 10th inning and scored 8 runs to win the game 11 to 3.  Again, it took the Birds a while to get going, but when they did, just about everyone contributed in the victory.  James Green got the win pitching the last three innings and he had 3 RBI's.  Matt Duong also had 2 RBI's.  Luke Selken also had a nice evening at the plate, going 4 for 6.
 
Birds Come-Back
Again, it wasn't pretty, but the Birds hung in there and defeated St. Francis 9 to 3.  St. Francis pitcher, Shane Benson dominated the game for the first 6 innings.  But, Isanti pitcher Brent Tholen (9 strikeouts in 7 1/3 innings) kept the Birds in the game until their bats finally started to wake up.  St. Francis held a 2 to 0 lead until the 7th inning when the Birds tied it up.  St. Francis scored a run in the bottom of the 8th inning to go ahead 3 to 2.  But, in the top of the 9th inning, the Birds scored 7 runs to go ahead to stay.  The offense had many different individuals contibuting with 7 different players scoring runs in that 8th inning.  Wyatt Soderquist went 3 for 4, scored 2 runs and drove in 2 runs.  James Green went 2 for 5 and drove in 2 runs.  Connor Braaten went 2 for 4 and drove in 1 run.  Jaxson Skoglund hit a big double in the 8th inning to drive in 2 tuns and he pitched the last 1 1/3 innings to pick up his first Redbird win.
 
Birds Win in Osceola
It wasn't pretty, but we got the job done today, defeating the Osceola Braves 11 to 7 on a beautiful Sunday afternoon.

 

Ethan Smith, Matt Duong and Connor Braaten pitched for the Birds.  The offense was spread around to just about everyone with Ethan Smith (3 walks  and 3 runs), James Green (3 for 5 and 2 RBI's), Matt Duong (2 for 3 and 3 RBI's) and Nick Hoffman (2 for 4) leading the way.

 

This week, we play at St. Francis on Wednesday, at Mora on Friday and in Isanti on Sunday afternoon against Braham.

 

 
Birds Defeat Birds!
The Isanti Redbirds defeated the Coon Rapids Redbirds 2 to 1 tonight.  Phil Bray pitched all nine innings giving up 5 hits and only one unearned run along with 11 strikeouts.  Matt Duong and James Green were the offensive hitters with both batters going 3 for 4. 
The game was tied zero to zero for the first five innings.  The Coon Rapids team scored in the top of the sixth inning.  But, the Isanti team tied the game when Matt Duong got on base on an error.  He then stole second and third base.  The Coon Rapids catcher tried to throw him out at third but the ball went into the outfield and Duong was able to score to tie the game up.  In the bottom of the eighth inning Matt Duong got a single and went to second on a pitch that got past the Coon Rapids catcher.  Duong then scored the go ahead run on a double by James Green.  The Birds now travel to Osceola on Sunday to play the Osceola Braves in a 1:00 PM game.
 
Birds Win One; Lose Two!
The Bird's participated in the Sartell/St. Stephens Ohmann Tournament this weekend.  This is always one of the best and most competitive tournaments of the year.  Both teams do a great job hosting the tournament and it's always highly competitive and a lot of fun.  The Birds lost to probably the best team in Minneapolis, the Mpls Cobras 6 to 2 in the first game.  Jaxson Skoglund hit a two run homer for the Birds in the third inning.  In the second game, the Birds defeated New Market 7 to 5 behind strong pitching from Brent Tholen and a 15 hit attack!  In their final game of the tournament, the Birds lost a nail-biter 2 to 1.  Again, the Birds got strong pitching, this time from Logan Kalis who pitched all seven innings giving up only the 2 runs.  The Birds came close in the final inning when Brent Tholen got on with a single and Connor Braaten almost put one out of the park!  But, the Sartell center fielder made a great catch!
 
The Birds have a busy week.  They play Ham Lake at home on Wednesday, Coon Rapids on Friday and at Osceola on Sunday.
 
Birds' Have Offensive Burst
The Bird's offense came alive tonight. many players contributed to the outburst of runs.  Eleven different Redbird players had at least one hit (18 total hits0  and tweleve different players scored at least one run.  Logan Kalis and James Green each hit long home runs and Jaxson Skoglund had an exciting triple.  Next up, the Birds travel to Sartell and St. Stephens for the annual Ohmann Invitational Tourament.
 
Birds Defeat Cougars
The Birds defeated the Centennial Cougars 6 to 1 behind strong pitching from Phil Bray and Logan Kalis.  Bray and Kalis struck out 11 Cougar batters while giving up only 2 hits.  Logan and Connar Braaten lead the offensive attack by each going 2 for 3.  Logan had two doubles and Braaten had a double and 4 RBI's.  The Redbird hitters had numerous quality at bats and the defense was solid all night.  Next up, Nowthen comes to Isanti on Wednesday evening, May 31st for a 7:30 PM game.
 
Birds Lose to Brewers
The Birds lost to a very good Forest Lake Brewers team 8 to 0.  Brent Tholen started on the mound for the Birds and pitched the first four innings, giving up only 3 runs.  But the Brewers kept adding on runs in the fifth, sixth and eighth innings.  Matt Duong, Logan Kalis and Ethan Smith followed Tholen on the mound.
The Birds kept putting the bat on the ball, but could not generate any runs or very many hits.  The Birds now face the Centennial Cougars on Friday, May 26th in Isanti at 7:30 PM.
 
Birds Win Home Opener
The Birds defeated an undermanned East Bethel team 12 to 1 in their annual Veteran's game.  The Bandits were a classy team that just happened to be short some of their players on this day.
The Birds got solid pitching from TJ Wink, Ethan Smith and Jon Dunnick.  They also got timely hitting by Ethan Smith, Wyatt Soderquist, Logan Kalis and Matt Duong.
It doesn't get any easier, the Birds will be facing a very strong Forest Lake team today at 4:00 PM in Forest Lake.  Brent Tholen will start on the mound for the Birds.
 
First Game Saturday
We have our first game this Saturday at 2:00 pm! We play the East Bethel Bandits in a non-league game.  This is our annual Veteran’s Poppy game where we recognize all the Anoka & Isanti County Veterans who have lost their lives in the past three major world wars. Hope to see you there!
 
Over 200 Kids Attend CICB/Redbird Youth Clinics
The Birds put on three days of youth pitching, catching, hitting and fielding clinics for kids 8 to 15 years of age.  Over 200 kids participated in these clinics.  TJ Wink and Nick Hoffman lead the pitching and catching clinic; Joe Tuholsky lead the fielding clinic and Wyatt Soderquist lead the hitting clinic.  Numerous other Redbird players helped out with these clinics.
 
Saturday, April 22nd Practice and Tryout Cancelled
Practice for Saturday, April 22nd has been cancelled.  We also had to cancel the open tryout session.  If you want to tryout for the 'Birds, please contact Steve Allen at 763-286-6328. Our next scheduled practice is Wednesday, April 26th at 7:00 PM.
 
2023 CICB / Isanti Redbird Youth Clinics
Sportsmans Park, Isanti, MN
  Pitching - Sunday, April 29, 2023
  Hitting - Saturday, April 30, 2023
  Fielding - Saturday, May 6, 2023
All clinics 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Register through Cambridge-Isanti Competitive Baseball (CICB).  Clinic Cost is free and sponsored by Cambridge-Isanti Competitive Baseball
 
Preparation for 2023 Season
The 'Birds have begun preparing for their 2023 season.  Currently, the 'Birds have 26 games scheduled before the Sectional Tournament.  The schedule will be posted here on our website in the very near future.  Many of the current players will be returning to play again this summer.  However, sadly we will be losing some players because of retirement.  We will be losing not only some very good baseball players, but also some very high quality individuals.  These players will be surely missed!  This provides an opportunity for other players to play for the 'Birds.  If you're interested, you can contact Steve Allen at 763-286-6328 or sallen958@gmail.com.  Or, you can plan on attending their open tryout which will be held on Saturday, April 22nd at 2:00 PM at the Redbird field in Isanti.
 
'Birds Season Comes to an End
The 'Birds season came to an end in the 2022 Class C State Tournament with the 'Birds losing to Delano 5 to 0.  The game was scoreless until the top of the 4th inning when Delano picked up an unearned run.  The 'Birds had two very good chances to score in both the 4th and 5th innings, but were snuffed out when Delano turned two double plays.  The 'Birds also had a runner thrown out at the plate in the 6th inning.  The 'Birds also had a couple of excellent defensive plays, as well.  Jeff Bowman made a great stop of a ball hit between first and second base.  He dove for the ball and then threw to first from his knees to get the runner out.  In the top of the 9th inning, Ethan Smith, Joe Tuholsky and Tommy Heifort turned a nice 4-6-3 double play.  Offensively, the 'Birds were lead by Wyatt Soderquist who went 3 for 4.
Phil Bray started on the mound for the 'Birds and pitched the first six innings.  Jimmy Skroch, James Green and Chris Olean eached pitched an inning at the end of the game.
 
Birds Defeat Browntown Bruins
The 'Birds defeated a very good Browntown Bruins baseball team in the Class C State Tournament today.  The game was like a very competitive dog fight, with neither team wanting to give an inch!  Browntown scored first in the 4th inning, but the 'Birds tied it in the 5th inning only to have Brownton take back the lead in the top of the 6th inning.  The 'Birds came right back in their half of the 6th inning to tie the score again.  The game then went another 4 1/2 innings until Matt Duong hit a single to right field scoring Mason Voshell with the winning run in the 11th inning.
The 'Birds will now play Delano next Saturday, September 3rd in Faribault at 1:30 PM.
 
Birds Win Section 1C Championship!
The 'Birds defeated Hinckley 4 to1 for their fourth win of the Section 1C Tournament.  The 'Birds will now move on to the Class C State Tournament.  The State Tournament Bracket should be coming out very shortly.  Phil Bray pitched the first 7 innings and picked up his 9th win of the season.  TJ Wink pitched the last two innings.  Hinckley got their run in the second inning and held on to a 1-0 lead until the 'Birds could finally puts some runs on the board.  Brent Tholen got things started with a double to left-center field.  Bud Heifort pinch hit and got hit by a pitch.  Jeff Bowman followed with a single to load the bases.  Mitch Dunbar walked to drive in the first run.  Joe Tuholsky lifted a sacrifice fly to drive in a second run and then Mason Voshell hit a double to drive in two more runs.
 
Birds Defeat Princeton 7 to 2
The 'Birds won their third game of the Section 1C Tournament.  This assures the 'Birds that they will be returning to the Class C State Tournament.  They have one more Sectional Tournament game on Sunday at 2:00 PM.  This game will determine if they enter the tournament as a #1 or #2 seed from Section 1C.  
Logan Kalis pitched a complete game and drove in three of the 'Birds runs.  Blaze Hogie and Matt Duong each had three hits.  Great pitching, solid defensive play and clutch hitting was key to this victory.
 
Birds Win First Two Games of Section 1C Tournament
The 'Birds won their first two games of the Section 1C Tournament.  In their first game, they defeated Mora Blue Devils 6 to 4.  In the second game, they defeated North Branch 10 to 2.  They now will play the Princeton Panthers on Friday night at 7:00 PM in Princeton.
 
Birds Advance to Section 1C Tournament
The 'Birds advanced to the Section 1C Tournament with a win over the North Branch Nighthawks 10 to 5.  Phil Bray pitched the first 6 innings, TJ Wink pitched the next 2 innings and Chris Olean pitched the last inning.  Three players came off the bench to spark the 'Birds: Connor Braaten, Matt Duong and Mason Voshell.  Connor had a clutch double sixth inning that drove in two runs.  Matt had a big hit that help spark a big ralley in the seventh inning and Mayson went 2 for 2 and had 3 RBI's!
 
Ugh!!!
The Andover Aces dealt the 'Birds a 17 to 11 loss.  Credit goes to the Aces who came with their hitting shoes on.  To the 'Birds credit, they never quit.  Playoffs start on Sunday at 5:00 PM in Isanti.  We will play the winner of the Chisago Lakes vs North Branch game.
 
'Birds Win Hard Fought Game With Nighthawks
The Birds won a hard fought game with the North Branch Nighthawks, 12 to 7.  The game was much closer than the final score as both teams were very thin on players.  The 'Birds to an early lead with a run in the first inning.  The Nighthawks came back with 2 runs in the 4th inning to go ahead 2 to 1.  The Nighthawks then put 3 more runs on the board in the top of the fifth inning to take a 5 to 1 lead.  But, the 'Birds scored 6 runs in their half of the fifth inning to go back ahead 7 to 5.  The Nighthawks made it 7 to 6 in the top of the sixth inning, but the 'Birds scored another run to go back up 8 to 6.  The Nighthawks picked up another run in the seventh inning, but the 'Birds scored 3 more runs in the seventh and 1 in the 8th to finish off the scoring.  James Green  and Jeff Bowman lead the offense with each getting 3 hits.  The big hit of the game was a 2-run home run by Matt Duong in the 'Birds big 6 run outburst in the fifth inning.  TJ Wink, Brent Tholen and Chris Olean pitched for the 'Birds.
 
'Birds Defeat Cubs 7 to 1
The Birds defeated the Quamba Cubs behind strong pitching from Phil Bray and Tristen Zimprich.  Phil pitched the first 7 innings allowing 1 run and giving up only 4 hits.  Tristen pitched the last two innings, pitching to the minimum amount of batters (six) and striking out four of them.  Jeff Bowman, Joe Tuholsky and Wyatt Soderquist each had two hits.
 
'Birds Defeat Knights 9 to 0
The Birds defeated the Hinkley Knights 9 to 0 behind the strong pitching of Logan Kalis, Drew Talberg and Chris Olean.  The pitchers and the 'Birds defense limited the Knights to just 4 hits.  The 'Birds again had numerous players contributing offensively.  Logan, Blaze Hogie and Mason Voshell each had 2 RBI's and Wyatt Soderquist scored 3 runs and Joe Tuholsky scored 2 runs.
 
The game with Monticello, initially scheduled for Sunday, July 17th has been cancelled.  The 'Birds have two remaining games.  Both games are home games; Wednesday, July 20th vs Quamba and Friday, July 22nd vs North Branch.  Both games will start at 7:30 PM.
 
'Birds Comeback for a W
The Birds built a 5 to 1 lead after five innings, over the Champlin Logators.  BUT . . .
the Logators put 7 runs on the board in the 6th inning to go ahead 8 to 5.  The Birds kept scrapping away and put another run on the board in the bottom of the 7th to make the score: Logators 8 - 'Birds 6.  The Logators put up another run in the top of the 8th inning, but the 'Birds came back with 5 more runs to go ahead with what turned out to be the final score, 'Birds 11 - Logators 9.  It was a back and forth game that had every Redbird player contributing in one way or another.  Phil Bray pitched the first 6 innings and Brent Tholen pitched the last 3 innings picking up the win.  Blaze Hogie went 3 for 5 and had 2 RBI's.  Jeff Bowman, Wyatt Soderquiat and Matt Duong each had two hits.
 
Birds Defeat Silverbacks
The 'Birds defeated the St. Francis Silverbacks 13 to 0.  The first three innings saw a pitcher's dual between the 'Birds TJ Wink and the Silverbacks Cole Linson.  But, the 'Birds offense came to life in the 4th, 5th and 6th innings scoring 13 runs in the middle three innings.  There were many players involved in this attack.  Logan Kalis drove in 4 of the runs; Dan Hamann drove in three more runs and Mason Voshell drove in 2 more runs.  Joe Tuholsky had 4 quality at-bats (QAB's) and Wyatt Soderquist and Logan had 3 QAB's.
 
'Birds Lose a Close One to Miesville
The 'Birds traveled to Miesville last night and lost a close game 5 to 4.  The game easily could have gone either way as both teams exchanged runs just about every other inning. A couple of close calls that didn't go our way, may have cost us the game.  Phil Bray and Chris Olean pitched for the 'Birds and held a very good Miesville team to just 6 hits.  Jeff Bowman and Wyatt Soderquist lead the offense with each player getting two hits.  Logan Kalis, Blaze Hogie, Nick Hoffman and Connor Braaten picked up the RBI's.
This was a very well played game, that was played on a very nice field with a great town ball "Friday Night" atmosphere!
 
CICB Youth Night!
The CICB 10U team came to visit the 'Birds last night.  The kids were introduced with the 'Birds and enjoyed watching the game and shagging baseballs.  Thanks for coming kids!
 
 
Birds Wind in Back and forth Game
The Birds played a "see-saw" game with the Rum River Bandits.  The score went back and forth and everytime the 'Birds felt that they were in command, the fiesti Bandits tried to rally back.  Fortunately, the 'Birds were able to answer back and they kept putting runs on the scoreboard.  The final score was Isanti 18, the Bandits 8.  Joe Tuholsky and Wyatt Soderquist each had three hits and Wyatt had a season high, 9 RBI's!  TJ Wink picked up the win pitching the first 6 innings and striking out 10 Bandits.  Bud Heifort and Brent Tholen pitched the last 3 innings.
 
Birds Hold On to Defeat Bulldogs
Down 3 to 0 after three innings, the Isanti Redbirds kept battling trying to find ways to score runs off of three very good Chisago Lakes pitchers.  The 'Birds finally got one run in the bottom of the fourth inning, picked up another run in the fourth inning and then broke loose to score three runs in the seventh inning.  Brent Tholen kept the 'Birds in the game for seven innings and then solid relief pitching from Chris Olean and Chase Carstensen finished off the game.  TJ Wink started the rally in the seventh inning with a double and Logan Kalis and Connor Braaten got the big hits that inning.  Braaten ended up with 3 RBI's for the game.
 
Redbirds Defeat Nighthawks
The Isanti Redbirds defeated the North Branch Nighthawks 13 to 3.  The Redbirds got off to a fast start, picking up 4 runs after there were two outs in the top of the first inning.  The big hit was a bases loaded double by Mason Voshell that brought in three runs.  The 'Birds kept the pressure on picking up runs in each of the last four innings.  TJ Wink and Brent Tholen pitched for the 'Birds with Wink picking up the "w".  The 'Birds now play Chisago Lakes this Wednesday in Isanti at 7:30 PM.
 
Birds Defeat Mora 1 - 0
The 'Bird defeated the Mora Blue Devils behind Phil Bray's three hit shutout.  Bray picked up the win and struck out 14 Blue Devil batters.  Jeff Bowman, Wyatt Soderquist and Connor Braaten each had two hits.  The lone run was scored in the fifth inning when Bowman lead off with a double.  Soderquist's single moved him to third base and he then scored on a passed ball on the Mora catcher.  It doesn't get any easier, the 'Birds now play North Branch on Sunday at 12:00 PM in North Branch. 
 
Birds Bounce Back
The 'Birds bounced back and defeated the East Bethel Bandits 13 - 3.  Logan Kalis pitched the first 6 innings and Chase Carstensen pitched 1 inning.  Joe Tuholsky was 2 for 4 and drove in 3 runs.  Wyatt Soderquist was 3 for 4 and drove in 2 runs.  Logan Kalis and Dan Hamann each also had 2 RBI's.
 
Panthers Defeat Birds
There was a classic pitcher's dual in Princeton tonight.  Princeton's Damon Rademacher vs the 'Birds TJ Wink.  The score was 0 - 0 until Princeton got a run off of Wink in the forth inning.  It stayed that way until Princeton added three more runs in the bottom of the eigth inning.  The 'Birds had their chances, but they couldn't come up with a timely hit when they needed one.  Three of their potential rallies where shut down by the Panthers with three double plays.  It doesn't get any easier.  The 'Birds have to face East Bethel on Wednesday, Mora on Friday and North Branch on Sunday.
 
Birds Defeat Nowthen Knights
The defeated the Nowthen Knights 25 to 0.  The 'Birds got excellent pitching from Drew Talberg and Chase Carstensen.  Offensively, there were a lot of contributers.  Howeve, Tristen Zimprich scoring 6 runs and Wyatt Soderquist picking up 6 RBI's seem to stand out.
 
Birds Travel to Osceola
The 'Birds traveled to Osceola last night to face the Braves.  Phil Bray pitched another great game, pitching 8 innings, giving up 4 hits and striking out 17 batters.
Logan Kalis, Blaze Hogie, Mason Voshell and Charlie Wonser each had two hits.  Numerous batters had 100% Quality At-Bats and a few others really "squared up" the baseball.
 
Fox 9 Town Ball Tour Comes to Isanti
The Fox 9 Town Ball Tour came to Isanti yesterday.  They brought with them their free ice cream and some of the television personalities.  It was a great day for baseball!
The 'Birds defeated the Ramsey Renegades 13 to 0.  Logan Kalis got the win on the mound, allowing only one hit and striking out 12 batters in seven innings.  Joe Tuholsky lead the team offensively, going 3 for 4.  Brent Tholen was 2 for three and Wyatt Soderquist was 2 for 4.  The 'Birds now travel to Osceola for a Friday night game with the Braves and then to Nowthen on Saturday for an afternoon game with the Nowthen Knights.
 
Brent Tholen Throws Second No Hitter
Brent Tholen shut out the Braham Snappers on the 'Birds second no-hitter, 10 to 0 in two consecutive games.  Brent struck out 13 Snappers in a 7 inning shortened game.
Offensively, the 'Birds were lead by a variety of players including Wyatt Soderquist 3 for 5 with 1 RBI; Blaze Hogie 2 for 4 with 2 RBI's; and Drew Talberg (2 for 3 with 2 RBI's).
Next up is the Ramsey Renegades who will be coming to Isanti on Wednesday, June 15th.  This is also part of the Fox 9 Town Ball Tour.
 
Phil Bray No Hits Rum River
Phil Bray no hit the Rum River Bandits and the 'Birds won the game 10 to 0.  Bray had 16 strikeouts and only allowed three Bandits to reach first base (one on a walk and two on hit batsmen).  The 'Birds were lead by Joe Tuholsky who went 3 for 3 and had 3 RBI's.  Mason Voshell and Brent Tholen went 2 for 4 (one of Mason's hit was a home run and one of Brent's hits was a double).  Dan Hamann went 2 for 3 with 2 RBI's.
 
Birds Win a Close One
The Chisago Lakes came to Isanti and gave the Redbirds a very tough game.  The Bulldogs were lead by strong pitching from Hunter Lindstrom, Tom Fitzer and Tyler Stilp.  The 'Birds matched them with strong pitching, as well from Logan Kalis and Chase Carstensen.  The 'Birds scored the only run of the game in the forth inning when Logan lead off with a double and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly by Ethan Smith.
 
Birds Win 2 out of 3
The 'Birds played three games this weekend in the very tough Ohmann Invitational Tournament in Sartell and St. Stephens.  The 'Birds' first game was with the Minnapolis Cobras.  They won 12 to 1. The Cobras got one un-earned run off of Phil Bray in the top of the first inning, but that was it for the game as Bray pitched all five innings of shortened game (because of the 10-run rule) and struck out 10 batters.  In the bottom of the first inning, the 'Birds answered with 9 runs in the bottom of the first inning and they never looked back.  Jeff Bowman and Wyatt Soderquist each had two hits and Wyatt and Nick Hoffman each had two RBI's.
 
In the second game, the 'Birds played New Market and lost a close one, 4 to 3.  The 'Birds jumped out in front in the first inning scoring three runs on a three run home run by Blaze Hogie.  But, in spite of excellent pitching by TJ Wink, the New Market Muskies came back and finally took the lead in the top of the fifth inning.
 
In the final game of the tournament, the 'Birds defeated the St. Stephen Steves 15 to 6.  The 'Birds used a combination of four pitchers and had a lot of offense provided by many different players.  Nick Hoffman, Tristen Zimprich and Mason Voshell each had three RBI's and Tristen and Mason each hit three-run homers.
 
The 'Birds start playing league games with week with three league games against Chisago Lakes, Rum River and Braham on Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.
 
Birds Defeat Red Devils
The 'Birds defeated the Rogers Red Devils 10 to 0 on Wednesday night in Isanti.  The game was a close 1 to 0 game for the first 4 1/2 innings.  But the 'Birds had two big innings in the 5th and 6th innings when they scored a total of 11 runs.  Brent Tholen started on the mound and pitched 6 innings, striking out 10 players and giving up only 3 hits.  Drew Talberg pitched the final inning very effectively striking out 2 more Red Devil players.
Offensively, the 'Birds were lead by Blaze Hogie, Brent Tholen and Connor Braaten who each had 2 RBI's.  The 'Birds will now travel to Sartell and St. Stephens for the Omann Insurance Tournament.
 
Depleated Birds Defeat Centennial
The 'Birds had only 10 players but still held on to defeat Centennial (who also had about 10 players available) 12 to 8.  The 'Birds were cruising with an 8 to 0 lead and a strong six innings of pitching by TJ Wink.  Matt Duong took over for TJ (TJ only gave up 1 hit and struck out 11 batters) on the mound in the 7th inning and gave up one run.  But, in the top of the 8th inning, the Cougar bats came alive along with a couple of Redbird errors to quickly tie the game.  The 'Birds came up to bat in the bottom of the 8th inning and picked themselves up and promptly put 4 more runs on the scoreboard.  Tristen Zimprich came in to relieve Matt Duong and picked up the win.
 
Offensively, the 'Birds were lead by Mitch Dunbar, Joe Tuholsky, Blaze Hogie and Tristen Zimprich.  Defensively, a couple of "web gem" diving catches were made by Wyatt Soderquist and TJ Wink.  TJ also drove in the go-ahead run in the big eigth inning after Centennial had tied the score.
 
Birds Drop A Close One!
The 'Birds were defeated by the Forest Lake Brewers 7 to 6.  The game went back and forth until the Brewers picked up the go ahead run in the 7th inning.  The 'Birds still had chances to win the game, but couldn't push across anymore runs.  Logan Kalis and Brent Tholen pitched for the 'Birds.  Defensively, they were not always given the best support.  Although, benefitted from 6 hits, 7 walks and one hit batter.  Offensively, the 'Bird were also lead by Logan!  Logan had a big night at the plate, hitting two 2-run home runs and a double, going 3 for 3 and collecting 4 RBI's.  The next time up, they intentionally walked him!  Mitch Dunbar also went 3 for 4 and had a double, a stolen base and 2 RBI's.  Tristen Zimprich also had two hits.
 
Birds Defeat East Bethel in Veteran's Poppy Game
The 'Birds defeated the East Bethel Bandits in their annual Veteran's Poppy Game.  A nice crowd saw a very special game that acknowledge all of the veteran's from Anoka and Isanti Counties who lost their lives in the last four world wars. The Isanti VFW Color Guard helped us honor this special celebration and Isanti Mayor, Jeff Johnson threw out the first pitch.
Phil Bray, got the win pitching 7 innings and striking out 10 batters.  Matt Duong pitched the last two innings without allowing any runs.  The Redbird offense was lead by Logan Kalis who went 2 for 4 and had 3 RBI's.  Mason Voshell and Jeff Bowman each had two hits.  Three hitters got extra base hits.  Logan, Matt, and Mason each had doubles and Tristen Zimprich hit a triple.  Next up, the 'Birds host the Forest Lake Brewers on Friday at 5:00 PM in Isanti.
 
Birds Lose to Birds
The Isanti Redbirds lost to the Coon Rapids Redbirds 8-7 in a very competitive game.  The game wasn't always "pretty", but it wasn't for lack of effort.  The game went back and forth until the Coon Rapids Redbirds got the winning run in the bottom of the ninth inning.  Next up, the 'Birds play the East Bethel Bandits on Friday night in their Annual Veteran's Poppy game.
 
Birds Host Pitching and Catching Clinic

 

The 'Birds collaborated with CICB in host a clinic for pitchers and catchers last Saturday.  TJ Wink, Phil Brey, Logan Kalis, James Green, Mason Voshell and Joe Tuholsky did a very nice job putting on the clinic.  Approximately 68 young kids from the area participated.

 

Birds Defeat Mpls River Rats 12 - 2

The 'Birds opened the season against a very nice Mpls River Rats team by a score of 12 to 2.  The River Rats jumped out to a 2 - 0 lead with runs in the second and third innings.  The 'Birds got going in the third inning when they got five runs.  They picked up two more runs in the fourth inning, a single run in the fifth inning and four more runs in the sixth inning.

Offensively, the 'Birds were lead by Joe Tuholsky, Blaze Hogie and Mason Voshell.  Voshell and Matt Duong hit home runs and Tuholsky had two triples.

The 'Birds got solid pitching from Phil Brey, Logan Kalis, Tristen Zimprich and Brent Tholen.  Kalis picked up the win.

The 'Birds will host a CICB Youth Pitching and Catching Clinic on Saturday, May 14th before traveling to Coon Rapids on Monday, May 16th for their next game.

The Annual Veteran's Poppy game with the East Bethel Bandits will be on Friday, May 20th.

 

First and Second Games

We are opening our season on Saturday, May 7th against the Minnapolis River Rats.  The game will be in Isanti at 2:00 PM.

 

Please note that our second game against the Minnapolis Mudcats that was scheduled for Wednesday, May 11th has been cancelled.

 

First Practice

Some of the guys have already started working out!  Our first practice is scheduled for Saturday, April 16th at 2:00 PM in Isanti. 

 

Open Tryout

We will have our annual open tryout and practice on Saturday, April 23rd also at 2:00 PM in Isanti.  If you're interested in trying out for the 'Birds, contact Steve Allen at 763-286-6328.

 

2022 Isanti Redbird Schedule Released:

  1. Saturday, May 7th, 2:00 PM vs Mpls River Rats at Isanti
  2. Wednesday, May 11th, 7:30 PM vs Mpls Mudcats at Isanti
  3. Monday, May 16th, 7:30 PM vs Coon Rapids at Wintergreen Field
  4. Friday, May 20th, 7:30 PM vs East Bethel at Isanti (non-league game)
  5. Sunday, May 22nd, 5:00 PM vs Forest Lake at Isanti
  6. Thursday, May 26th, 7:30 PM vs Centennial at Isanti
  7. Monday, June 1st, 7:30 PM vs Rogers at Isanti
  8. Saturday, June 4th, at Sartell / St. Stephens Tournament - TBD
  9. Saturday, June 4th, at Sartell / St. Stephens Tournament - TBD
  10. Sunday, June 5th, at Sartell / St. Stephens Tournament - TBD
  11. Wednesdyay, June 8th, 7:30 PM vs Chisago Lakes at Chisago Lakes
  12. Friday, June 10th, 7:30 PM vs Rum River at Isanti
  13. Sunday, June 12th, 5:00 PM vs Braham at Braham
  14. Wednesday, June 15th, 7:30 PM vs Ramsey at Isanti
  15. Friday, June 17th, 7:30 PM vs Osceola at Osceola
  16. Saturday, June 18th, 2:00 PM vs Nowthen at Nowthen
  17. Monday, June 20th, 7:30 PM vs Princeton at Princeton
  18. Wednesday, June 22nd, 7:30 PM vs East Bethel at Isanti
  19. Friday, June 24th, 7:30 PM vs Mora at Isanti
  20. Sunday, June 26th, 2:00 PM vs North Branch at North Branch
  21. Wednesday, June 29th, 7:30 PM vs Chisago Lakes at Isanti
  22. Wednesday, July 6th, 7:00 PM vs Rum River at Cambridge
  23. Friday, July 8th, 8:00 PM vs Miesville at Miesville
  24. Sunday, July 10th, 4:00 PM vs Hudson at Isanti
  25. Wednesday, July 13th, 7:30 PM vs St. Francis at Isanti
  26. Friday, July 15th, 7:30 PM vs Champlin at Isanti
  27. Saturday, July 16th, 7:30 PM vs Hinckley at Hinckley
  28. Sunday, July 17th, 4:00 PM vs Monticello at Isanti
  29. Wednesday, July 20th, 7:30 PM vs Quamba at Isanti
  30. Friday, July 22nd, 7:30 PM vs North Branch at Isanti
  31. Wednesday, July 27th, 7:30 PM vs Andover at Isanti

Looking Ahead to the 2022 Season

It won't be long before we start seeing green grass at our field in Isanti again . . . NOT!  However, it's not too early to start "thinking" about our up-coming season!  In fact. the 'Birds have their 2022 schedule just about completed.  If any teams are interested in setting up a game with us, we do have a couple of open dates still available.  You can contact manager, Steve Allen at sallen958@gmail.com or 763-286-6328.  The 'Birds also have an annual tryout for anyone is interested in playing for us.  You can contact Steve Allen for more information.  Think Spring!

 

2021 Season

Below is the link to our "Season in Review" video.  Don't worry, it's only 4 minutes long!  Enjoy!

 

https://video214.com/play/173zXiZOQIbzCqyqMFM0uw/s/dark

 

Birds season comes to an end

The Birds season came to an end in the second round of the State Class C Tournament.  The 'Birds lost to the Sobieski Skis 6 to 5.  The Birds got off to a rough start, falling behind 6 to 0.  Some "seeing eye" hits and uncharacteristic defensive lapses put the Birds in a big hole.  But, they kept fighting right up until the end.  There were some "big hits" and some hits that could have been even bigger.  In the fifth inning, Logan Kalis hit a deep fly to left-center that came within inches of clearing the fence.  Logan drove in two runs, but had to settle for a double instead of a home run.  In the seventh inning, Blaze Hogie hit a line shot to right field that drove in another run.  If Blaze had gotten just a little more lift on the ball, it would have either gone out or at least over the right fielder's head.  In the ninth inning, Wyatt Soderquist hit a two run homer, but the Birds left the tying run stranded on first base to end the game.  

 

It's always tough to end the season, but the Birds should be extremely proud of their accomplishmets and another very successful season.  

 
Birds Win Section 1C Championship; Advance to State Tournament

The Birds defeated the Princeton Panthers on Sunday and advanced to the MBA State Tournament as the Section 1C number 1 seed.  The Panthers will also advance to the State Tournament as the Section 1C number 2 seed.  The story of the Sectional Tournament has been pitching, defense and focused hitting.  In the championship game, Wyatt Soderquist (3 for 4 & 3 RBI's); Logan Kalis (2 for 3 & 1 RBI); Blaze Hogie (2 for 3 & 2 RBI's); and Mitch Dunbar (2 for 2 & 1 RBI) lead the offensive attack.  TJ Wink (5 innings) and Brent Tholen (1 inning) gave up only 1 run and 4 Princeton hits.  The Birds received a first round bye in the State Tournament and will play the winner of the Windom vs Sobieski game on Sunday, August 29th at 4:30 PM in Chaska.

 

Birds Defeat Hinckley in Sectional Game

The Birds defeated the Hinckley Knights in the Section 1C Tournament 10 - 0.  Phil Bray pitched 7 innings to pick up his 8th win of the season.  Phil only allowed 3 hits and 1 walk while striking out 11 Hinckley batters.  The win qualified the Birds for the MBA Class C State Tournament.  The Birds will play one more sectional tournament game to determin who gets the Section 1C one seed and who gets the second seed.  This game will be held at 2:00 PM on Sunday in Princeton.

 

Birds Advance in Section iC Tournament

The Birds defeated East Bethel and Quamba in the Section 1C Tournament on Saturday and Sunday.  Mora plays against Hinckley tonight and the Birds will play the winner of this game on Friday night at 7:30 PM.  The Section 1C Tournament is being hosted in Princeton at H.M. "Swede" Solheim Veterans Field.

 

Birds Lose Non-conference Game

The Birds lost 3 to 2 to the Forest Lake Brewers today.  The Birds got a run in the second inning, but they were tied up by the Brewers in the third inning.  The Birds went back ahead in the sixth inning on a triple by Wyatt Soderquist and a double by Logan Kalis.  But, in the bottom of the eighth inning Drew Cremisino hit a two-run home run for the Brewers.  The Birds will not get ready for the Section 2C tournament that will start this week in Princeton.  Watch for more information or follow them on this website.

 

Birds End Regular Season

The Birds ended their regular season with a record of 15 wins and 1 loss in Eastern Minny League play and a record of 25 wins and 4 losses overall.  The Birds will now wait for the brackets to be released for the Region 1C Tournament.

 

Birds Defeat Miners

The Birds traveled to Hibbing today and defeated the Hibbing Miners, 13 to 5.  Matt Duong and Isaac Roers pitched for the Birds and scattered 9 hits while allowing 5 runs.  Wyatt Soderquist (4 for 4, 5 RBI's and a home run); James Green (4 for 5 and Joe Tuholsky (3 for 5) lead the offensive attack that included 21 hits.

 

North Branch Defeats Birds in a Pitcher's Dual

The North Branch Nighthawks defeated the Birds 2 to 1 in a classic pitcher's dual.  Jimmy Skroch came out on top of Phil Bray and TJ Wink.  Jimmy struck out 13 Redbird hitters and Phil and TJ struck out 14 Nighthawks.  The Birds put up a run in the fourth inning and the Nighthawks tied it in the 6th inning on an unearned run.  The Nighthawks got the winning run in the eighth inning on a walk to Clint Mattson and a triple by Noah Wolfe.

 

Stong Pitching and Timely Hitting Produce a W

The Birds got strong pitching from James Green, Ethan Smith and Nick Hoffman to help defeat the Braham Snappers 8 to 1.  The three pitchers only gave up two hits and one unearned run while striking out 14 batters.  Mason Voshell (3 for 4), Logan Kalis (2 for 3) and Jeff Bowman lead the Birds offensive attack.  Again, quality defense and timely hitting were also the keys to getting this win.

 

Birds Defeat Bulldogs

The Birds came ready to play tonight.  They defeated the Chisago Lakes Bulldogs 19 to 1.  Logan Kalis and Brent Tholen pitched for the Birds, allowing only one run and one hit.  Offensively, the Birds were lead by Logan Kalis (2 for 3 with 3 RBI's), Brent Tholen ( 3 for 4) and Jeff Bowman (1 for 4 and scored 4 runs).  The Birds not only had numerous good at-bats, but they also played very well defensively.

 

Birds Defeat East Bethel 7 - 1

The Birds defeated the East Bethel Bandits 7 to 1.  The Bandits played the Birds very tough, especially in the early innings.  The Birds offense was lead by Logan Smith (3 for 4), Blaze Hogie (a big three run home run in the third inning) and Ethan Smith (2 for 3).  TJ Wink pitched the first three innings, Tristen Zimprich pitched two innings and Chis Oleen pitched the last inning.  The Birds now play Chisago Lakes on Tuesday in Chisago Lakes; Brahan on Wednesay in Isanti; North Branch in Isanti on Friday before they travel to Hibbing for their final game of the regular season on Saturday.

 

Bray Pitches 2 Hitter

The Birds defeated St. Francis behind Phil Bray's strong pitching performance.  Phil pitched a complete game, giving up only two hits and striking out 12 St. Francis batters.  It was a very close game for 7 innings, but in the 8th inning, the 'Birds got a single by Tristen Zimprich, Jeff Bowman bunted him over to second base and Joe Tuholsky worked a walk off of St. Francis pitcher, Cole Linson (who also pitched a very good game).  Then with two outs Logan Kalis singled in Tristen and Brent Tholen doubled in Joe and Logan to put the Birds up 3 to 0.  That's all the runs that Phil Bray would need to get the win.

The Birds now play East Bethel on Sunday night at 7:00 PM in Isanti.

 

Birds Defeat Bulldogs

The Birds defeated the Chisago Lakes Bulldogs 8 - 4.  Cole Vandenheuvel, Matt Duong and Joe Tuholsky pitched for the Birds and Hunter Lindstrom, Steve Budke and Dusty Rhodes pitched for the Bulldogs.  The Bulldogs and Birds are scheduled to play again on Wednesday night in Chisago Lakes.

 

The Birds Win Big

The Birds put up eleven runs in the first inning and never looked back.  They defeated Mora 20-2.  The first inning was highlighted by two home runs by Wyatt Soderquist.  A two run homer and a three run homer.  Wyatt had six RBI's for the game.  Jeff Bowman, Wyatt, Logan Kalis, and Tristen Zimprich had multiple hits.  Tristen also had a double and a home run.  Logan Kalis pitched a five inning complete game for the win.  The Birds now play Chisago Lakes on Monday night in Isanti.

 

Another "Nail-Biter"

The Birds visited Quamba tonight and came away with a 7 to 3 win.  The "Cubbies" are for real!  They battled the Birds for nine innings and the Birds were fortunate to come away with a win.  Offensively, the Birds were lead by Matt Duong (3 for 3); Logan Kalis (2 for 5); Nick Hoffman, 2 for 4 and Brent Tholen (2 for 4).  The Birds lead most of the game, but the Cubs wouldn't go away until the final out was made.  Wyatt Soderquist hit a two run homer in the top of the eigth inning that sealed the win for the Birds.  Phil Bray pitchd the first eight innings to get the win and Brent Tholen picked up the Save. 

 

Knights and the Birds in a "Dog Fight"

The Hinckley Knights and the Isanti Redbirds had a classic "Dog Fight" tonight in a great amateur baseball game.  Hinckley scored first in the third inning, but the 'Birds managed to tie it in the fourth inning.  The Birds went ahead in the 6th inning, but the Knights came back to tie it and go ahead in the seventh inning.  But, in their last at-bats in the bottom of the ninth inning, the Birds managed to push across two runs and win the game 4 to 3.  Jeff Bowman and Nick Hoffman each had two hits for the 'Birds.

 

Tonight's game with East Bethel has been rained out and rescheduled for Sunday, July 18th at 4:00 PM in Isanti.

 

Birds Defeat Bandits 14 - 4

The Birds defeated the Rum River Bandits 14 to 4 tonight.  Solid pitching from TJ Wink, James Green and Isaac Roers and a couple of big run production innings helped guide the Birds victory.  Logan Kalis, Breth Tholen and Mason Voshell all hit home runs.  Logan also had 4 RBI's.  Joe Tuholsky went 3 for 5 and scored 3 or the Birds runs.  The Birds now have a break over the 4th of July and come back with a heavy July schedule.

 

Rain Doesn't Slow Down the Birds

The Birds overcame a strong down pouring of rain that interrupted their game for about an hour and defeated the Princeton Panthers 5 to 3.  The Birds lead at one point 5 to 0, but the Panthers would not go away.  They got within 2 runs of tieing the game before their ralley fell short.  The Birds had a couple of big two out ralleys  early in the game that helped them build their early lead.  Nick Hoffman  (2 for 3) and James Green (3 for 4) had multiple hit games.

 

Birds Defeat Polecats

The Birds defeeated the Monticello Polecats in a rain shortend game (7 innings) 5 to 0.  Phil Bray piched all seven innings and gave up only 2 hits while striking out 13 batters.  The Birds were lead offensively by Wyatt Soderquist (3 for 4); Nick Hoffman (3 for 4) and Matt Duong (2 for 4).  But, the most important feature of this game was the Redbird players' ablility to have two-out clutch hits.

 

Pitchers Shut Out Ramsey

The Birds got solid pitching from TJ Wink and Tristen Zimprich last night, shutting out the Renegades 8 to 0.  A six run second inning helped get the 'Brids going.  Wyatt Soderquist was 3 for 5, including a home run.  Joe Tuholsky was 2 for 4.  Wyatt, Joe and Blaize Hogie each had 2 RBI's.

 

Birds Win Behind Strong Pitching and Timely Hitting

The Birds defeated Centennial 5 to behind solid pitching from Matt Duong, James Green and Brent Tholen. Wyatt Soderquist and Logan Kalis provided a lot of the offense.  Wyatt was 2 for 4 with two doubles and he scored two runs.  Logan was 2 for 4 with a home run and a double.  Logan also had 4 RBI's.  It can't go overlooked that the 'Birds also played errorless baseball in the field.

 

BIrds Win One and Lose One in Miller Lite Tournament

The Birds went to the Miller Lite Tournament this weekend and played two games against Belle Plaine and Carver.  They defeated Belle Plaine, 9 to 3 and then lost to Carver 2 to 0.  Great tournament hosted by Green Isle and Hamburg.

 

Birds Defeat Nowthen Going to Miller Lite Tournament

The Birds deated Nowthen 15  to 0 on Wednesday evening in Isanti.  The 'Birds will now head to Green Isle and Hamburg, MN for the Miller Lite Tournament.  The 'Birds will play Bell Plaine at 11:00 AM on Saturday morning in Green Isle.

 

Birds Defeat Rum River

The Isanti Redbirds defeated the Rum River Bandits 10 - 0 last night.  TJ Wink pitched extremely well, limiting the Bandits to 2 hits over 7 inings.    The offense was lead by Joe Tuholsky who went 3 for 4 and scored 2 runs.  Jeff Bowman, Blaze Hogie, Mason Voshell and Tristen Zimprich each had 2 hits.   The 'Birds now host the Nowthen Knights on Wednesday eveing.

 

 

I hope you didn't miss the 2011 State Championship Teams' 10 year reunion alumni game!

The 2011 Isanti Redbird team came to town and showed the current Redbird team that they can still "play the game"!  The current team won the game 5 to 3, but the 2011 team had the tieing runs on the baes when the game to an end.  Joe Ramberg and Wyatt Soderquist each had two hits for the alumni and Bud Heifort, BJ Samuelson and Ryan Bruns scored their three runs. Ethan Smith had two hits for the current team and Brent Tholen had a double to drive in two runs in the first inning.  Adam West, Wade Reichmann, Joe Ramber, Ryan Bruns and Bud Heifort pitched for the alumni and Cole Vandenheuvel, James Green, Nick Hoffman, Ethan Smith and Brent Tholen pitched for the current team.

 

It was a great day at the ballfield.  A light lunch and refresments were served after the game.  The guys stuck around for a long time.  We asked them to turn off the lights and lock the gates when they finally left.  There was a lot of reminicing and many stories were being told. Some possibly even true!

 

After the game, Cindy Livingston was honored and recognized.  Cindy has been the Redbird President for 21 years (over 700 games!) and is retiring this year.  She will be sincerely missed!  Here's a tribute below:

 

In appreciation for 21 years of leadership and service to the Isanti Redbirds amateur baseball team and in recognition of all your hard work and commitment.  All of your efforts to raise money via bingo, concessions, pull tabs, etc. allowed the 'Birds the luxury of not worrying about how to pay for every little thing and helped them concentrate on just playing baseball.

The 'Birds will not be the same without her!

 

Birds Defeat Very Good Foley Team

The Foley Lumberjacks came to town and gave the 'Birds a good fight.  Foley went ahead 1-0 in the top of the first inning, but the 'Birds came back and tied it in the bottom of the first on a single by Tristen Zimprich, a sacrifice bunt by Mitch Dunbar and a single to center field by Logan Kalis.  Foley came back with a run in the top of the third inning, but the 'Birds tied it up with a run in the bottom of the fourth inning.  Brent Tholen singled, moved over to second base on a past ball and scored on a single by James Green.  The 'Birds put up four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning.  With the bases loaded, Brent Tholen hit a deep fly ball to left field.  The Foley outfielder went back to the fence, but could ot hold on to the ball, scoring three runs.  Brent later scored on a Foley error.  The Lumberjacks were not going to go away easily, they scored two more unearnd runs in the top of the ninth inning and were finally put out with the bases loaded.

Phil Bray pitched a complete game, striking out 14 hitters and giving up only one earned run.

 

Birds Fall to Fusion

The Blaine Fusion came to town and took it to the 'Birds, winning in comfortable fashion, 7 to 2.  The Fusion pitching staff dominated the Redbird hitters giving up only 4 hits while striking out 10 batters.  Wyatt Soderquist's second home run of the season and Tristen Zimprich's double were the only two extra base hits that the 'Birds could produce.  Logan Kalis and Brent Tholen actually pitched well, but the Fusion also have some very goot hitters.  Next up, the Foley Lumberjacks come to Isanti on Friday.  The Lumberjacks are another very good team.

 

Birds Defeat Nighthawks

The Birds defeated the North Branch Nighthawsk 17 to 2.  The 'Birds were a little slow at the start of the game, but put up some big numbers in the middle innings.  Numerous players had multiple-hit games and Logan Kalis, Jordan Schlueter all hit home runs.  The 'Birds will face two very tough teams this week, playing Blaine on Wednesday and Foley on Friday. 

 

Phil Bray Shuts Out Osceola

Phil Bray pitched all nine innings and shut out the Osceola Braves last night.  Phil gave up only four hits and had 15 strikeouts.  Offensively, the 'Birds were lead by Mitch Dunbar (3 for 5), Logan Kalis (2 for 5) and Nick Hoffman (2 for 3).  The 'Birds played solid defense behind Bray and got the three runs off of a couple of excellent Osceola pitchers.  Next up, the 'Birds play North Branch on Sunday at 4:30 pm in North Branch.

 

Birds Wins on Walk-Off

The Birds defeated the Rogers Red Devils 7 to 4 on Wednesday evening.  The game ended with a walk-off home run by Brent Tholen, his second home run of the game!  But this wasn't the only "story of this game".  There were a lot of little things that captured players and fans' attention in this game.  Logan Kalis pitched 6 strong innings, giving up only one hit and no runs.  Tristen Zimprich releived Logan and had a rough 7th inning, but then settled down to finish off the last two innings of the game on the mound.  There were some real "quality at bats" where batters battled the Roger's pitchers.  The defensive highlight was a diving catch by Tristen Zimprich when he flew through the air to catch a potential extra base hit by one of the Red Devil batters.

The 'Birds travel to Osceola on Friday night to play the Braves. 

 

Birds Centennial Game Rained Out!

 

Birds Defeat Cobras 8 to 0

 

Birds Defeat Birds

The Isanti Redbirds defeated the Coon Rapids Redbirds 10 to 0 last night.  Phil Bray pitched the first 6 innings allowing just 3 hits and striking out 10 batters.  Brent Tholen pitched the last inning, striking out the side to end the game.  Offensively, the 'Birds were lead by Wyatt Soderquist, who went 4 for 4 including a home run and 3 RBI's.  Blaze Hogie had a big double in the 5th inning driving in 3 runs.  Joe Tuholsky was 2 for 4.  The game was highlighted by the play of some of the younger 'Birds.  With many veteran players gone, numerous younger Redbird players stepped up and contributed to the win.

 

Strong Pitching and Solid Defense

Strong pitching, solid defense and clutch hitting helped the 'Birds defeat the Forest Lake Brewers 5 to 2.  The pitching of TJ Wink, Logan Kalis and Phil Brey gave up only 7 hits and 2 unearned runs while their defense backed them with numerous fielding plays including two double plays.  The offense was lead by little things like a great bunt by Matt Duong, Wyatt Soderquist fouling off numerous pitches before getting a base hit to start a rally and Blaze Hogie driving in two runs with a double.  The 'Birds will now host the Coon Rapids Red Birds on Friday, May 21st at 7:30 PM.

 

A Very Nice Evening at the Ballfield

Everthing about last night's game was improved upon.  We looked like a different team.  A special thanks goes out to the East Bethel Bandits and Manager Dallas Jelmberg, Murray Hermanson, the Isanti VFW and Isanti Mayor Jeff Johnson for helping us honor our veteran's with our annual Veteran's Poppy Day game.  This was a very nice night at the ball field!

 

On the baseball side of things, we were a much improved team than the team that played a week previously in Sartell.  From the pre-game warm-ups to the end, we were focused and played aggressively against a much improved East Bethel Bandits team.  Joe Tuholsky lead our offensive attack going 4 for 5 and driving in 4 runs.  Logan Kalis' home run was important because the Bandits were starting to rally.  If Cole and Ethan keep playing like they played last night, they may soon lose their title as "baby birds"!  I would be remiss if I didn't mention Matt Duong's come back on the mound.  It's been almost two years since Matt tore his Achillies tendon, last night was another big step for Matt.

 

I don't think we made very many (if any) mental mistakes last night, nice job guys!

 

Our schedule doesn't get any easier.  We play at Forest Lake against the Brewers on Sunday at 2:00 PM.

 

Hope to see many of you there.

 

2021 Season Off to a Rough Start

The 2021 Season got off to a rough start!  The 'Birds traveled over to Sartell and got beat 8 to 1.  It wasn't quite as bad as the score indicates.  All three pitchers, Phil Brey, TJ Wink and Logan Kalis pitched pretty well.  Some uncharacteristic errors in the outfield and a few too many walks put four unearned runs on the scoreboard early in the game.  Mean while, offensively, the 'Birds could not put together very many quality at-bats.  Next up, the 'Birds host the East Bethel Bandits on Friday, May 14th in Isanti.  This will be our Annual Veteran's Poppy Day game.  Hope to see you there!

 

2021 Isanti Redbird Schedule Released:

  1. Friday, May 7th, 7:30 PM vs Sartell at Sartell
  2. Friday, May 14th, 7:30 PM vs East Bethel (Veteran Poppy Day) at Isanti
  3. Sunday, May 16th, 2:00 PM at Forest Lake
  4. Friday, May 21st, 7:30 PM vs Coon Rapids at Isanti
  5. Sunday, May 23rd, 2:00 PM vs Mpls Cobras at Isanti
  6. Wednesday, May 26th, 7:30 PM vs Centennial at Isanti
  7. Wednesday, June 2nd, 7:30 PM vs Rogers at Isanti
  8. Friday, June 4th, 7:30 PM at Osceola
  9. Sunday, June 6th, 3:00 PM at North Branch
  10. Wednesday, June 9th, 7:30 PM vs Blaine at Isanti
  11. Friday, June 11th,7:30 PM vs Foley at Isanti
  12. Sunday, June 13th, 4:00 PM vs Alumni at Isanti
  13. Monday, June 14th, 7:30 PM vs Rum River at Isanti
  14. Wednesday, June 16th, 7:30 PM vs Nowthen at Isanti
  15. Sat/Sun, June 19th & 20th Green Isle/Hamburg Miller Lite Tournament
  16. Wednesday, June 23rd, 7:30 PM vs Stillwater at Isanti
  17. Friday, June 25th, 7:30 PM vs Ramsey at Ramsey
  18. Saturday, June 26th, 2:00 PM at Monticello
  19. Sunday, June 27th, 4:00 PM vs Princeton at Isanti
  20. Wednesday, June 30th, 7:00 PM vs Rum River at Cambridge
  21. Tuesday, July 6th, 7:30 PM vs East Bethel at Isanti
  22. Wednesday, July 7th, 7:30 PM vs Hinckley at Isanti
  23. Friday, July 9th, 7:00 PM vs Quamba at Quamba
  24. Saturday, July 10th, 2:00 PM Outhouse Races at Isanti
  25. Sunday, July 11th, 4:00 PM vs Mora at Mora
  26. Monday, July 12th, 7:30 PM vs Chisago Lakes at Isanti
  27. Wednesday, July 14th, 7:30 PM vs Chisago Lakes at Chisago Lakes
  28. Friday, July 16th, 7:30 PM vs St. Francis at St. Francis
  29. Monday, July 19th, 7:30 PM vs Andover at Isanti
  30. Wednesday, July 21st, 7:30 PM vs Braham at Isanti
  31. Friday, July 23rd, 7:30 PM vs North Branch at Isanti
  32. Saturday, July 24th, 2:00 PM vs Hibbing at Hibbing

 

10 Year Reunion Alumni Game (see photo above)

Wow, it's been 10 years since the 'Birds won the Class C State Tournament!  Time truly does fly!  Well, the 2011 team is still feeling somewhat confident.  They have challenged the 2021 Redbird team to a game.  The 2021 team has accepted and this special Redbird Alumni game will be held on Sunday, June 13th at 4:00 PM in Isanti.  I would like to caution the "old guys" that they better start losing some weight and getting into shape!  Can't wait for summer!

 

Happy Holidays!

We've started scheduling games!  Summer is just around the corner . . . ya right!

 

Season Ends!

The 'Birds season came to a sudden end when they were defeated in the State Tournament by the Cold Springs Rockies 3 to 1.  The 'Birds once again got solid pitching from James Green, TJ Wink and Zach Walz.  But, their bats were kept quiet by the Rockies pitcher who gave up only five hits.

 

It was a great season in spite of the COVID Virus!  The 'Birds ended up with 21 wins and 2 loses.  This year's team had a tremendous amount of drive and character . . . and we laughed a lot, too!  Thanks Guys for a great run!

 

'Birds Defeat Watertown at State Tournament

The 'Birds defeated the Watertown Red Devils in their first game of the 2020 State Tournament in Springfield, MN.  James Green (7 innings) and Phil Bray (2 innings) pitched a great game for the 'Birds.  Jeff Bowman, Joe Tuholsky, Wyatt Soderquist and Nick Hoffman lead the offense.  The 'Bird defense was lead by great plays by Blaze Hogie, Nick Hoffman, Tristen Zimprich and Logan Kalis.  The 'Birds will now play the Cold Spring Rockies on Friday, Steptember 4 in Milroy.

 

'Birds Move on to State Tournament

The 'Birds defeated the Mora Blue Devils, 13 to 2 and will now move on the the State Class C Tournament that will be held in Milroy and Springfield.  Once again, strong pitching, solid defense and a productive offense lead to a Redbird victory.  James Green pitched 6 innings and Logan Kalis pitched one inning.  The offense was lead by Wyatt Soderquist (3 for 4 with a homerun, a triple and 4 RBI's!  Blaze Hogie was also 3 for 4 with two doubles!  Joe Tuholsky went two for two and scored three runs, as well.  Next up, will be the State Amateur Class C Tournament that will be held in Milroy and Springfield, Minnesota.  You can find the tournament bracket on the Minnesota Amateur Baseball Association website.

 

'Birds Qualify for State Tournament

The 'Birds defeated the Mora Blue Devils 10 to 0 today at the Section 1C Tournament in Hinckley.  Phil Bray pitched a complete game giving up only four hits and striking out 12 batters.  The 'Birds offense was a little slow getting started, but eventually started driving runners around the bases.  Nick Hoffman went 3 for 3 and Logan Kalis, Blaze Hogie, Brent Tholen, James Green and Tristen Zimprich each picked up two hits.  The 'Birds will play in the Section Championship game tomorrow at 2:00 PM in Hinckley.

 

'Birds Defeat Rum River Move On to Third Round

The 'Birds defeated a very good Rum River Bandits 5 to 1.  James Green, TJ Wink and Tristen Zimprich pitched for the 'Birds and held down a very good hitting Rum River team 3 hits.  The 'Birds were lead offensively by Logan Kalis who went 3 for 4.  Blaze Hogie and Brent Tholen got two hits and they each had an RBI.  Mitch Dunbar got a big hit in the third inning to drive in two runs.  The 'Birds now play the Mora Blue Devils on Friday night at 7:30 PM in Hinckley.

 

 

Friday, July 11
Wednesday, July 9
Monday, July 7
Monday, June 30
Friday, June 27
Last Game
 RHE
Braham Snappers500
Isanti Redbirds900
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