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Eau Claire, WI- Locking up their sixth straight win, the Eau Claire Express (22-10 Second Half, 37-31 Overall) defeated the Bismarck Larks (12-20 Second Half, 28-39 Overall) by a score of 8-3 at Carson Park Wednesday night.
Trailing 2-1 in the bottom of the seventh, the boys in orange and white mounted a five-run rally to grab a late lead from Bismarck. After initially tying the game when center fielder Daytona Bryden (UW Whitewater) was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, right fielder Devon Garcia (Ohio) roped a bases-clearing double into the gap in right-center to give the Express a three-run lead.
Garcia was named the Marshfield Clinic Player of the Game after he finished the night with two hits and three RBI.
Eau Claire starter Drew Gillespie (New Mexico) (3-3) tossed six innings, striking out six Larks batters while allowing just one earned run. Gillespie was not awarded the win after leaving the game with score tied up at 1-1 in the top of the sixth.
Relievers Caleb Willems (UW La Crosse) (Winning Pitcher) and Josh Gaworski (Concordia St. Paul) took over from then, sealing the win by combing to throw three innings of two-run ball.
Tomorrow the Express will travel to St. Cloud for a two-game road series with the Rox (15-16 Second Half, 40-27 Overall). Manny Castellano (University of the Cumberlands) (1-0) is expected to get the start for Eau Claire in that one, having not pitched since August 5th when he threw an inning of relief against the Thunder Bay Border Cats.
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The Eau Claire Express are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The 23-year-old summer collegiate league is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 20 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, more than 180 former Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including two-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champion Ben Zobrist (CHC) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET), Curtis Granderson (NYM) and Lucas Duda (NYM). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. For more information, visit www.eauclaireexpress.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Express as your favorite team.
