Mankato, MN- Behind seven stellar innings pitched by starter Lane Ramsey (Oklahoma) (2-2) the Express (11-7 Second Half, 26-28) finished off a perfect four-day road trip by taking down the Mankato MoonDogs (11-7 Second Half, 31-23) 4-1 in Eau Claire’s fifth consecutive victory.
While he didn’t have his swing-and-miss stuff on Tuesday night, Ramsey allowed Mankato hitters to reach base just nine times on five hits, three walks and an error. The 6’8 right-hander lowered his seasonal earned run average to 3.21, the lowest of any starter on the talented Express pitching staff.
Ben Butler (San Jac) and Victor Chavez (Scottsdale CC) carried the torch for Eau Claire in the eighth and ninth frames, combining to allow one base runner (on a Butler walk) while racking up five strikeouts. Chavez picked up his team leading eighth save of the year by tossing a clean ninth inning with a three-run lead.
While it certainly wasn’t a banner day at the office for the Express offense, their four runs on four hits was more than enough to get the job done on a night in which the team’s arms were so dominant.
Left fielder Zach Ashford (Fresno State) was the only hitter in either lineup to reach base more than twice in this one, knocking two singles and working a walk on his way to raising his batting average up to .309. Ashford would also be responsible for one of the two Express RBI in this one, and scored his 21st run of the season when designated hitter Scott Ogrin (Cal Poly) grounded out in the first.
Tomorrow Eau Claire begins a six-game homestand at Carson Park with a day-night doubleheader against the Willmar Stingers (12-5 Second Half, 30-23) at Carson Park.
The first contest of the day is set to begin at 1:05 PM with Manny Castellano (Univ. of the Cumberlands) making his first start of the season for Eau Claire. The second game is scheduled for 7:05 PM, and will be started by Luke Eldred (Dallas Baptist) (2-2).
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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.