EAU CLAIRE, Wis. — The La Crosse Loggers snapped a three-game skid behind a strong starting pitching performance by Zach Pronschinske, as the Loggers topped Eau Claire 6-3 in front of 1,170 fans at Carson Park on Thursday night.
Pronschinske (UW-La Crosse) and the Loggers (14-17) kept the Express (14-17) off the scoreboard through the first seven innings, building a 4-0 lead in the process. The junior from Arcadia, Wis. finished his day with 7.0+ innings pitched, allowing just three hits and two runs while striking out three. Lalo Porras (Lewis Clark State) allowed just one hit in the eighth, before Jared Freilich (Penn State) closed the door with a clean ninth inning as he picked up his sixth save of the season.
Jack Filby (UCLA) produced in his first game as leadoff hitter for the Loggers, collected a pair of hits and four RBI. He walked to open the game in the top of the first, and then came around to score on an RBI single by Brady Allen (South Carolina). Filby added an RBI single in the second inning, plated two more with an RBI single in the seventh inning to give La Crosse a 4-0 lead, and added a run-scoring groundout in the eighth inning.
Eau Claire pushed across three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning, but Allen drew a leadoff walk and then scored on an RBI double by Ryan Holgate (Arizona) to five Freilich an insurance run in the ninth.
Filby raised his season average to .316 after Thursday’s performance, and outfielder Trey Harris (Arkansas) collected his first two hits as a Loggers player with singles in the fourth and eighth innings.
Pronschinske improved his record to 2-1, and currently has a 2.61 ERA over 31 innings pitched.
The two teams will square off once again tonight, with the Loggers hosting the Express at 7:05 pm at Copeland Park.
