After being handed a loss by the Stingers in last night’s matchup, Eau Claire rebounded on Friday night with a 5-2 win to pump their record up to .500 before heading back to Carson Park for Saturday's home opener.
Chase Dreger threw five innings of two-run ball in his Express debut, striking out one and walking one. Dreger consistently pitched his way out of trouble for most of the night, as he allowed a total of nine runners to reach base but only permitted two of them to cross home plate.
It was the top third of the Eau Claire batting order delivering the run support, as Zach Gilles, Justin Evans and Nic Ready combined to reach base seven times in 15 trips to the plate. The trio contributed five hits, four walks, two runs scored and three RBI to lead the way for an Express offense that struggled to capitalize on several run-scoring opportunities the night before.
Although the Eau Claire bullpen faltered in last night’s contest, allowing Willmar to break a 3-3 tie in the 8th, relievers Austin George and Victor Chavez looked dominant in the final four frames of this one. George pitched three innings and didn’t allow a hit while striking out three before Chavez took over, notching the first Express save of the season with a 1-2-3 ninth inning punctuated by a K to send Dale Varsho's squad home happy.
Eau Claire will host the Mankato MoonDogs at home Saturday night, their first home game of the season. The Carson Park gates open at 6 PM, where there will be live music and festivities being held leading up to first pitch at 7:05 PM.
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 170 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.
