Eau Claire, WI – The Eau Claire Express (12-14) traveled north of the border on Thursday and were victorious over the Thunder Bay Border Cats (6-21). It was a tight game but the Express pulled ahead to win 7-6.
It was a pitchers’ duel until the 4th inning when Eau Claire got on the board. Andrew Pratt (Lubbock Christian) and Nick Brueser (Stanford) both singled in the first two ABs in the inning. Adam LaRock (MATC) hit an RBI single to score Pratt and advance Brueser to third. Brueser scored later in the inning on a wild pitch.
The 5th inning saw another two Express runs. The bases were quickly loaded with three straight singles from Mitchell Buban (UW Milwaukee), Spencer Myers (Notre Dame), and Noah Sifrit (Oklahoma State). Buban would score on an RBI single hit by Andrew Pratt and Nick Brueser drove in Myers on a sac fly to center.
Keeping with the trend, Eau Claire added two more runs in the 7th. Spencer Myers and Andrew Pratt both walked early in the inning. Nick Brueser laced an RBI single, scoring Myers and advancing Pratt to 2nd base. David LaManna (Notre Dame) slashed an RBI double to drive in Pratt. After Thunder Bay tied the game 6-6 in the bottom of the 7th inning, the Express took the lead back in the top of the 8th when Mitchell Buban scored on a sac fly from Adam LaRock.
Carson Rudd (Stanford) was on the mound to start for the Express. He went seven innings, giving up six runs on seven hits and three walks. The freshman struck out six and earned his third win of the season. Ryan Bishop (Dallas Baptist) got his first pitching appearance as he entered in the 8th inning. Bishop, usually a catcher, ran into some trouble but settled down for a scoreless inning. He walked two and struck out one. Zach Grech (Stanford) entered in the 9th and recorded two strikeouts as he pitched his way to his second save of the season.
Eau Claire will continue their road trip with one more in Thunder Bay and two in Duluth. They return home on Monday, August 6th. It is a double header against the Stingers and you can Win Bill’s Grill! Enter for a chance to win Express owner Bill Rowlett’s Grill! Fans will also be able to receive a complimentary chair massage from Paradise Massage while taking in an Express game! The doubleheader features two 7 inning games. Game 1 begins and 5:05 pm and game 2 will begin approx. at 7:30 pm or 30 mins after the end of the first game. One ticket is good for both games.
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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, 200 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.