Eau Claire, WI – The Eau Claire Express entered their Wednesday night contest with a magic number of eight to secure the second half divisional title. That number is now at seven after the Express demolished the Waterloo Bucks 19-2 in an offensive outburst for the trains.
Waterloo started this one with a bang as red-hot Caleb Corbin (Iowa Central CC) cranked a lead-off homer. The Express would answer right back though, bringing 13 batters to the plate and hanging an eight spot in the bottom half. The onslaught would continue as Eau Claire posted five runs in 4th, two runs in the 5th, and four runs in the 6th.
Sam Kuchinski (Montevallo) led the offensive charge, contributing a three-run homer and six total RBIs. His six RBIs tied the Express single-game record. Reed Latimer (Montevallo), Peter Brookshaw (North Dakota St.), and Cadyn Schwabe (North Dakota St.) all added three hits with Latimer driving in four runs of his own. The Express offense combined for 23 hits and all 11 players that played contributed to the hit column.
JJ Pease (Montevallo) got the start on the mound for the Express and he was spectacular, going five innings and striking out nine while giving up just two earned runs. Spencer Wright (Mankato State) tossed three shutout frames in relief of Pease and Shane Ryan (Central Michigan) finished things off with a scoreless inning in the 9th.
The Express will play host to the Bismarck Larks for a two-game series as they look forward to the third game of this six game homestand.
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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 Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Now in its’ 29th season, the Northwoods 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, 300 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time All-Star and 2016 Roberto Clemente Award winner Curtis Granderson, three-time Cy Young Award winner and World Series Champion Max Scherzer (NYM), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (BOS). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and 2021 All-Star, MLB Gold Glove winner and 2019 Second Team All-MLB shortstop Marcus Semien (TEX). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. League games are viewable live at watchnwl.com and on ESPN+. 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.