Eau Claire, WI – The Eau Claire Express (2-2) showed grit and resilience in an 11-8 win over the La Crosse Loggers (3-1) on Saturday night at Copeland Park.
The Express were down early and found themselves behind 8-0 by the 2nd inning. The score stayed the same until Eau Claire’s offense came alive in the 7th inning. Nick Brueser (Stanford) led off with a solo shot over the left field wall. Phillip Sikes (New Mexico) followed with a single and Ryan Bishop (Dallas Baptist) walked. The two runners advanced on a wild pitch and Sikes scored on a single by Garrett Gouldsmith (New Mexico).
Down 8-2 with two outs in the top of the 8th, Eau Claire made things interesting by scoring 5 runs. Nick Brueser blasted another solo shot, this time to right field. David LaManna (Notre Dame) then singled to center field and was moved to third base on Ryan Bishop’s double to right. Garrett Gouldsmith singled to bring LaManna and Bishop in to score. Devon Garcia (Ohio) plated Gouldsmith with an RBI single to left field. Garcia would run in later in the inning on a Jimmy Glowenke (Dallas Baptist) single.
Heading to the top of the 9th, the Express were down 8-7. The first two batters up were quickly retired and Eau Claire was down to their last out. However, they found a way to score 4 runs in the inning to take an 11-8 lead. Nick Brueser reached on an error by the Logger’s first baseman and David LaManna followed with a walk. In the next at bat, Ryan Bishop put the ball in play and was rewarded when the ball dropped in front of the Loggers’ center and right fielders. Brueser scored and LaManna moved to third on the play. La Crosse gifted Eau Claire another run when the second baseman made a poor throw on a routine play to allow Garrett Gouldsmith to reach. LaManna scored and Bishop went to second. Devon Garcia cleared the bases on a two RBI double.
Starter Josh Gaworski (Concordia-St Paul) struggled, only going two innings and allowed eight runs, seven earned, on six hits and one walk. Noah Sifrit (Oklahoma State) entered for four scoreless and struck out three. Isaiah Davis (Fresno State) would throw 1.2 innings but had to exit with the bases loaded in the bottom of the 8th. Drew Hmielewski (Minnesota) came in to record the final out of the 8th, getting the Express out of the jam and keeping them within one run of the Loggers. He would receive the win. Zach Grech (Stanford) earned his first save of the season, pitching a scoreless 9th to secure the Express victory.
Eau Claire travels to Rochester for the first game of a home and home series on Sunday, July 8th. The Express will be back in town on Monday, July 9th, for a 6:35 pm first pitch. Join us for Bark in the Park, presented by emBARK! Enjoy the baseball game alongside your furry friend. Dog bandanas will be given away to fans. Fans will also be able to receive a complimentary chair massage from Paradise Massage while taking in an Express game!
Season tickets and 5-Game Packs are on sale now. 5-Game Packs include a reserved seat, Express jersey, Express hat, Express mug, and unlimited food and beverage for $70. Click here to purchase your 5-Game Pack online and we will contact you about your seats. You can also call us at (715)839-7788. Jersey sizes will be available on a first come, first serve basis.
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The Eau Claire Express are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Now in its 25th anniversary season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 20 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, more than 190 former Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist (CHC) and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET) and Curtis Granderson (TOR). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. 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.
