Eau Claire, WI – The Eau Claire Express (4-9) lost 4-0 in the first game of a two game set with the Waterloo Bucks (4-8). In the afternoon game, the Express were shut down by a very dominating performance by Bucks starter, Javin Drake.
Drake reigned supreme, not allowing a run in seven innings. He would give up three hits and one walk while striking out ten. It was quite the performance from the Bucks starter. The two Waterloo relief pitchers, Matthew Perea and Connor Johnson were very effective with their time on the mound. Perea worked one inning, giving up a walk and recording a strikeout. Johnson would come in for the 9th inning, giving up one hit before ending the game.
Eau Claire is still struggling to get hits and put runs on the board. The Express only managed four hits in today’s contest. Three of those four came from newcomers to the lineup. Cody Milligan (Oklahoma State), Nate Thimjon (Fresno State), and Ryan Bishop (Dallas Baptist) all went 1-4. Adam LaRock (MATC) added the final Express hit and ended the day going 1-3.
The bright spot for the Express was Jake Harrison’s (UT-San Antonio) start. Even though he ended up with the loss, Harrison kept Eau Claire in contention. The junior pitched five innings, giving up two runs (both earned) on four hits and three walks. Rece Dietrich (Duluth) would come in the game to throw three innings in relief. Dietrich would give up two earned runs on four hits while striking out four.
The Eau Claire Express will continue on their road trip with one more game in Waterloo and two in Willmar. They return home on Thursday, June 14th for a 6:35 pm first pitch on Teacher Appreciation Night. The game is presented by the Career Development Center and Express T-shirts will be given away to fans (while supplies last)!
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The Eau Claire Express are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Now in its 25th anniversary season, the Northwoods 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 190 former Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist (CHC) and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET) and Curtis Granderson (TOR). 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.