Eau Claire, WI – A beautiful night made for a beautiful game here at Carson Park as the Eau Claire Express beat the Loggers 9-5.
Things looked shaky to start the ballgame, as La Crosse loaded the bases in the first 2 consecutive innings. Somehow, Eau Claire staved off the threat of big scoring though, as they got double plays in each of the two innings.
Starter Kale Hopke (NDSU) threw a heap of pitches in the first couple but was able to pull himself out of several jams en route to a solid outing. Through 5 innings, Hopke gave up just 1 run on 83 pitches with 2 strikeouts. Reliever Daniel Rosado (Lewis) came in after Hopke and threw strikes in his 3-inning campaign. He worked well despite giving up 2 runs in the top of the 7th inning, getting 2 strikeouts in total. Eventually, it was Tanner Sagouspe (Cal Poly) who finished the game, closing out the top of the 9th inning with 2 Ks of his own.
As the pitching corrected its course, the hitting followed with it. Multi-run innings came in the bottom of the 3rd, and the bottom of 6th for the Express. The Trains were led offensively by Bronson Rivera (Hawaii) and Dylan O’Connell (Western Kentucky), who each had multi-hit nights. In addition to the hits, O’Connell, DJ Massey (Central Arizona), and Reed Latimer (UAB) each had a couple of RBI.
Runs were scored in all sorts of ways, through singles, doubles, bunts, and even a home-plate steal double steal by Rivera in the 3rd.
This bounce-back win was full of clean fielding, and some highlight reel plays. 2nd Baseman DJ Massey had himself back-to-back web gems in the 4th inning. His solid work in the field and at the plate earned him tonight’s “Player of the Game” Honors.
The Express will square off against the Loggers again tomorrow in La Crosse. First pitch will come at 6:35 pm CT, and you can follow along with the action online or on the radio at 106.7 FM-Moose Country. Tune in to see the two division rivals in their 2nd of a 4 game series!
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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’ 30th season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 24 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 325 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.