Duluth, MN – The Eau Claire Express (2-1, 21-18) started off very strong against the Duluth Huskies (2-1, 15-24). After losing the lead during a rough 7th inning, the Express completed a comeback, downing the Huskies by a final of 10-7.
Lakeland University Postgame Recap:
Eau Claire opened the game’s scoring in the top of the 2nd inning. Nick Lopez (Illinois-Chicago) singled and Brock Burton (Grand Canyon) followed with an RBI triple to score Lopez. Burton later came in on an error by the Huskies first baseman.
The Express made it 3-0 in the 3rd inning. Cole Cabrera (Cal Poly) singled and stole second base. He scored on an RBI single hit by Matt Bottcher (Illinois-Chicago).
Adding more, the Express sent two runs home in the 5th inning. Cabrera once again reached on a single to lead off the inning. Spencer Myers (Notre Dame) followed with a single of his own and both runners moved into scoring position thanks to an E5. Bottcher drove in Cabrera on an RBI single and Myers scored on a ground out.
The top of the 6th saw another Eau Claire run. As in the other innings, Cabrera reached first on a single and stole second base. Bottcher followed suit, hitting an RBI single to put in the run.
Duluth came back in the 7th inning with vengeance. They plated 7 runs in the inning off three hits and five walks. The Huskies took a 7-6 lead.
Down but not defeated, the Express had a huge answer with a four-run top of the 9th inning to retake a lead at 10-7. The bases quickly loaded with no outs after a Cabrera single, Myers walk, and Bottcher single. David LaManna (Notre Dame) slashed a 2 RBI single to score Cabrera and Myers. Vincent Martinez (Stanford) drove in Bottcher. Later in the inning, LaManna came home on a fielder’s choice.
Alec Baker (Dallas Baptist) cruised through the first 6.0 innings of the game but ran into trouble in the 7th. He ended up going 6.1 innings, giving up four runs on three hits and three walks. Ethan Swanson (Cowley CC) got the ball in relief but could not record an out. He allowed three runs, with one being earned. All-Star Brannon Jordan (Cowley CC) entered and got the Express out of the rough 7th inning. Jordan finished the ballgame and earned the win after throwing 2.2 scoreless innings and striking out three.
Matt Bottcher had a fantastic game for the Express, going 5-5 with 2 RBI and a run scored. Cole Cabrera also had a big night, as he was 3-5 with 3 runs scored.
The Express continues the Duluth road trip on Saturday and Sunday. Eau Claire then returns to Carson Park on Monday, July 8th for a 6:35 pm first pitch. It’s Mystery Monday! Check out our social media in the coming days for a ‘Mystery Monday’ clue on how to receive a special discount to the game.
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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 25-year old summer collegiate league is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 22 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, over 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 (MIA). 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.