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Bismarck, ND- Looking to pick up their second victory in a row, the Express (8-7 Second Half, 23-28 Overall) marched into Bismarck and dismantled the Larks (8-7 Second Half, 24-26 Overall) by a score of 9-2 on Saturday night.
Picking up his second victory of the season, Eau Claire starting pitcher Ryan Zimmerman (St. Thomas) (2-2) tossed six innings and allowed just one earned run. The right-handed junior struck out six and walked two, lowering his ERA to 4.62 on the season.
Both teams combined for 21 hits on the night, with the Express being the beneficiaries of some timely base knocks and mental lapses on the part of Bismarck. For instance, Eau Claire was able to extend their 5-2 lead to 9-2 in the top of the ninth on just one RBI, bringing their other three runs in on an error, a double steal, and a wild pitch.
Just one of the 11 hits pumped out by the Express offense went for extra bases, as right fielder Daytona Bryden (UW Whitewater) laced a double in the fifth for his first hit in an Eau Claire uniform.
What third baseman Kyle Marinconz (Cal Poly) and left fielder Zach Ashford (Fresno State) didn’t show in the power department, they made up for in reaching base consistently. Marinconz ended his day with three singles and two RBI, while Ashford got aboard three times as well on two singles and a walk.
The Express find themselves above .500 in the second half after tonight’s win, and now sit just 2.5 games back of the Mankato MoonDogs (10-4) for the top second half record in the North Division.
Eau Claire and Bismarck will meet again at Dakota Community Bank and Trust Field tomorrow afternoon at 3:05 PM. Gerry Salisbury (Ohio) will get the start for the Express in that one, looking to build upon his previous start in which he threw eight shutout innings against the St. Cloud Rox.
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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.
