Eau Claire, WI – The Eau Claire Express defeated the Minnesota Mud Puppies 10-5 on Friday night. The victory drops the Express’ magic number to four to clinch the divisional title.

The Mud Puppies jumped out to a four-run lead, scoring two in each of the first two innings. Eau Claire would respond with one in the 2nd and two in the third, highlighted by an RBI double off the bat of Sam Hunt (Vanderbilt).

The Express would break the game wide open in the 6th frame, hanging a seven on the scoreboard. Hunt added his second extra-base hit of the night with an RBI triple and Reed Latimer (Montevallo) capped things off with a three-run moonshot over the fence in left-center.

Eau Claire starting pitcher Cory Ronan (Hawaii) struggled in this one, allowing four earned runs on five hits in just two innings of work. Jack Brown (Mankato State) was dominant in relief of Ronan, tossing six shutout frames en route to earning the win.

The Express offense saw contributions up and down the order in this one, compiling ten runs on twelve hits. Latimer and Hunt led the way, combining for five RBIs between them. Cadyn Schwabe (North Dakota State) and Joe Yorke (Cal Poly) each added two hits and Jake Sapien (Stanford) contributed a two-run double.

Eau Claire returns to Carson Park for the final game of their six-game homestand as they look to sweep the Mud Puppies.

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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’ 29^th 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.