Eau Claire, WI – Baseballs were flying out of Carson Park tonight, as the Express offense racked up a whopping 4 home runs to lead the Trains to a 10-4 victory.
The long ball ruled early, as each team had a solo shot in both of the first few innings, coming from Brigs Richartz (St. Thomas) and Ragan Pinnow (Augustana) for Eau Claire. For Willmar, it was Andrew Sojka (Cal-State Northridge) and Colin Hynek (Georgia State) who went deep.
It remained a 1 run ballgame through the next 4 innings, but would break wide open in the bottom of the 7th, when Jake Busson (Iowa Central CC) hit a grand slam to cap off a 7 run explosion by the Express. Willmar would get a couple of base runners on to start the 9th, but Andrew Ball (Augustana) buckled down and retired the next 3 batters to close this one out.
The Express got a collection of strong pitching tonight, as Zachary Lyles (Western Kentucky) threw 5 innings, with only 3 runs allowed and striking out 7. Zacary Tenn (Hawaii) picked up the win (1-0), while Will Eldridge took the loss (0-1).
Eau Claire looks to complete the series sweep tomorrow night here at Carson Park. First pitch is set for 6:35pm CT.
https://scorebook.northwoodsleague.com/update/3950/statistics/stats/visitor/pitching
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. Entering its’ 31st season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 26 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 350 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 (TEX), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (STL) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (ATL). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and 2023 World Series Champion, 2021 and 2023 All-Star, MLB Gold Glove winner and two-time All-MLB first team 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.