The Eau Claire Express tied to South Division playoff series at 1-1 with their 4-1 win over the Wisconsin Woodchucks in a game that featured nine hits. The Express received a fantastic pitching performance from Ian Campbell (Corpus Christi) who only allowed three hits in 8.0 innings of work. The 6’5’’ righty from Glendale, AZ shut down a Woodchucks offense that finished 2nd in the NWL with a .270 batting average.
Lefty Mike Strong (Oklahoma State) out-dueled NWL Pitcher of the Year Jason Wheeler (Loyola Marymount) to earn the win for the Rochester Honkers. Strong threw 6.0 innings of four-hit, one-run baseball while striking out nine River Bats. The 6’1’’ 185-pound Stillwater, MN native now has six wins on the season in 65.0 innings pitched.
Rochester Honker Chris Elder (Oral Roberts) had a huge night off of NWL Pitcher of the Year Jason Wheeler. Elder was a perfect 3-for-3 with four RBI and one run scored. The left handed hitting Elder broke the game open with a three-run homer in the 4th. Elder also walked two times in the 8-2 victory.
The Eau Claire Express and Wisconsin Woodchucks are set to play Tuesday night at Carson Park in Eau Claire at 6:35. The Express won both halves of the South Division NWL season and have a 48-22 overall record. The 2nd playoff spot came down to the final night with the Woodchucks beating the La Crosse Loggers to clinch their spot in the NWL playoffs.
The 2010 Northwoods League playoffs are set and ready to being Tuesday night. The North Division matches the 1st Half Champion Rochester Honkers with the 2nd Half Champion St. Cloud River Bats. The Eau Claire Express boast the league’s best overall record at 48-22 and face the Wisconsin Woodchucks, winners of nine of their last ten games, in the South Division playoffs.
The Wisconsin Woodchucks took game one of the South Division playoff series by a score of 3-2 thanks to timely hitting and some clutch relief pitching. The Woodchucks Kevin Pillar (Cal State Dominguez Hills) walked and advanced to third on a Travis Whitmore (Pittsburgh) single in the 1st. Pillar would eventually score on a Pat Terry (Santa Clara) sacrifice fly. The Express would answer back in the 2nd with an Andrew Leonard (Illinois-Chicago) RBI that scored Steve McGuiggan (Illinois-Chicago) to tie the game at 1-1.
The Wisconsin Woodchuck tandem of Andrew Klausmeier and Mitchell Beacom pushed the ‘Chucks into the 2010 Playoffs. Beacom earned the save after throwing 3.0 innings in relief and only allowing one hit while striking out six Loggers. Beacom finished the regular season with a 1.08 ERA with six saves. Klausmeier also threw well and earned the win, his 5th of the season. The righty threw a two hitter threw 6.0 innings and struck out six in the win.
Jake Astor (Southern Arkansas) led the Waterloo Bucks to their final win of the season. Astor was 3-for-4 with three runs scored and three RBI in the 11-2 win over Eau Claire. Astor blasted two home runs, his 1st two of the season, and also doubled. The hard swinging lefty hit .289 on the season for Waterloo and had 16 extra base hits with 17 RBI. Matt Dittman (Illinois) led the Rochester Honkers to victory with his three-hit performance.
The Rochester Honkers, 1st Half North Champions, will take on the St. Cloud River Bats in the North Division Playoffs. The Honkers had their Playoff ticket punched after a 19-13 record in the 1st Half while the River Bats clinched their Playoff spot Sunday night with their win against the Honkers. St. Cloud and Willmar were battling for the final North Division spot, but Willmar lost their last two games in Thunder Bay while St. Cloud has won their last two games.
The Wisconsin Woodchucks clinched a spot in the South Division Playoffs as they beat the La Crosse Loggers 6-0 on Monday night at Athletic Park. The Woodchuck’s pitching staff came up huge as Andrew Klausmeier and Mitchell Beacom (UCLA) combined to throw a three hitter while striking out ten. The Woodchuck’s only managed six hits, but the Loggers committed five errors and walked five. Carlos Amezquita (Pepperdine) was 2-for-4 with two RBI while first basemen Robbie De La Cruz (UNLV) also drove in two runs.
