Eau Claire, WI- Although starting pitcher Lane Ramsey contributed another solid outing in his fourth start of the season, the Express ended their current win-streak at three with a 3-1 extra innings loss to the Rox on Wednesday night.
Ramsey tossed six innings of one-run ball, allowing just three hits in a no decision. While Ramsey didn’t dominate by way of the K (he struck out just three Rox batters), the 6’8 right-hander found alternative routes to success by using his mid-90’s fastball to induce poor contact from most of the 25 batters he faced.
The Express would score their only run of the ballgame in the bottom of the first when Luke Bandy singled home Zach Gilles from third. Bandy would go on to strikeout in each of his next three at-bats, while the rest of the lineup was able to muster just three hits in the following nine innings.
With Austin George on the mound in the top of the tenth, St. Cloud took their first lead of the game on an RBI-double by Shane Selman. The Rox would add another run after a throwing error was made by Eau Claire third baseman Pete McEvoy, giving St. Cloud a 3-1 to work with in the bottom of the 10th.
In the final frame, Zach Gilles would work a one-out walk to bring the tying-run to the plate in right fielder, Dominic Clementi. Unfortunately for the Express, Clementi and designated hitter Kyle Marinconz were unable to come through, sealing the win for St. Cloud.
Tomorrow the Express take on the MoonDogs for a day-night doubleheader in Mankato. The first game of that double ticket is set to begin at 5:05 PM, with Luke Eldred (0-1) taking the mound for Eau Claire.
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.