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Eau Claire, WI – The Eau Claire Express (6-5) made their way to Waterloo, Iowa on Saturday for a two games series against the Waterloo Bucks (1-11). It was a beautiful day for baseball at Riverfront Stadium as Eau Claire came back to top Waterloo by a final of 12-5.
The Express were the first on the board, scoring one run in the top of the 3rd inning. Ryan Bishop (Dallas Baptist) led off with a single to right field. Spencer Myers (Notre Dame) walked and both baserunners advanced on a passed ball. Bishop scored on a groundout by Zach Gilles (Central Michigan).
The Bucks scored all five runs in the 4th inning. With two outs and a runner on first and second an error by third baseman, Cody Milligan (Oklahoma State), allowed a run to score and loaded the bases. Two more bucks would score on a single in the next at bat. The final two runs came later in the inning off a Carmen Sclafani two run home run.
Eau Claire chipped away at the Waterloo lead, scoring one run in the 5th. Cody Milligan started with a walk and advanced to second base when Ryan Bishop was hit by a pitch. Noah Sifrit (Oklahoma State) slashed a single to center field and drove in Milligan.
Four runs came in for the Express in the 7th inning. The bases were quickly loaded after a Cody Milligan walk, David LaManna (Notre Dame) single, and Noah Sifrit walk. Spencer Myers hit an RBI single that scored Milligan and advanced the other baserunners by one base. LaManna scored on a fielder’s choice hit by Zach Gilles. Alec Trela (Memphis) plated Myers on a sacrifice fly to center field and Gilles scored on a wild pitch.
The 8th inning was even kinder to Eau Claire. Nick Brueser (Stanford) reached on a hit by pitch and Cody Milligan walked. David LaManna hit an RBI single to left field, scoring Brueser. An error on the play allowed Milligan to third. Milligan would score on a Spencer Myers RBI single to left. Zach Gilles, freshly back with the Express, hit a huge 2 RBI double in the inning, driving in LaManna and Myers. Gilles scored after an Alec Trela RBI single to center. Just to be safe, the Express added one more run in the 9th. Andrew Pratt (Lubbock Christian) began with a double to left field and scored on a Nick Brueser RBI single.
Rece Dietrich (Duluth) got the start for the Express and went five innings. All five runs for the Bucks scored while he was on the mound, but none were earned. The lefty allowed six hits and struck out three. Isaiah Davis (Fresno State) had a very impressive outing from the bullpen. He threw four innings and did not allow a run. Davis gave up three hits and two walks while striking out eight.
The Express finish the Waterloo series on Sunday before a league wide off day on Monday, July 16th. They return home to Carson Park on Tuesday, July 17th for a 6:35 pm first pitch. It will be Babies at the Ballpark night! Fans are encouraged to bring diapers to the ballpark to be donated to the Family Resource Center. Between inning games will also be baby themed!
Season tickets and 5-Game Packs are on sale now. 5-Game Packs include a reserved seat, Express jersey, Express hat, Express mug, and unlimited food and beverage for $70. Click here to purchase your 5-Game Pack online and we will contact you about your seats. You can also call us at (715)839-7788. Jersey sizes will be available on a first come, first serve basis.
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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.
