Mankato, MN – The Eau Claire Express split their two-game series with the Mankato MoonDogs, winning on Wednesday 9-7 and dropping Thursday’s contest by a score of 4-5.
The Express were active on the basepaths in Wednesday’s game, swiping six bases including three from Cadyn Schwabe (North Dakota State) who now leads the Northwoods League in stolen bases (33). Eau Claire received major production from the top of the order as Schwabe, Peter Brookshaw (North Dakota State), and Joe Yorke (Cal Poly) combined for nine hits and four walks to lead the way offensively.
Will Rizzo (Texas A&M) wasn’t quite on his A-game, but it was enough to get the trains the victory. He allowed six runs in six innings while striking out seven en route to earning the win. Chris Baytosh (Cal Poly) tossed two shutout frames in relief of Rizzo and punched out five MoonDogs. All-Star Matt Helwig (Lewis) came on and got the save in the ninth, his 9th of the year.
On Thursday, the Express dropped a heartbreaker as Mankato walked things off in the 9th inning. Reed Latimer (Montevallo) continued his hot streak as he contributed three hits including his fifth homer of the season. Jake Sapien (Stanford) sent out his second long ball of the year and his teammate Charlie Saum (Stanford) added two base hits.
The Express begin their final series against Rochester on Friday. It is a home-and-home series with game 1 occurring at Mayo Field in Rochester on Friday before Eau Claire returns home for the final game of the regular season on Saturday at 6:35 CT.
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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.