EAU CLAIRE, WI The Eau Claire Express scored the go ahead run in the eighth and the Waterloo Bucks' potential game tying run was cut down at home plate to end the game in the ninth as the Express won 4-3 at Carson Park on Saturday night.

Trailing by one in the top of the ninth, Steven Pollakov reached on an error by the first basemen and went to second on Ryan Nagle's sacrifice bunt. After Eau Claire closer Eric Gleese picked up a strikeout, Robert Swenson came up and laced a 1-0 fastball into right field. Pollakov attempted to score from second base, but Eau Claire's Jake Mavropoulos fired a bullet home in plenty of time to end the game.

Eau Claire took the lead for good in the eighth inning on a sacrifice fly out to right field.

The Bucks started the game hot as Mikal Hill led off the ballgame with a double to left center field and would score on a Logan Scherer RBI single to right. However, the Bucks left the bases loaded without any more damage and would be held in check the rest of the way by the Express starterer Jeremy Bragnall.

Still, Waterloo starter Adam Brey wasn't letting Eau Claire do much either but the Express tied the game in the bottom of the third without the benefit of a hit. Bryan Burzynski reached on a one out walk. Then Marvopoulos came up and hit a tough grounder to third where Waterloo's Patrick Fiala made a barehand stab off a bad bounce and fired him out. Burzynski attempted to go all the way to third and the throw back across the diamond went wild allowing him to come in and score.

Eau Claire took their first lead in the bottom of the seventh after loading the bases with no outs. A fielder's choice and a RBI single gave the Express the 3-1 edge.

The Bucks had an answer in the eighth. With one out, Hill singled and then went to third base on a steal and wild pitch combo. Fiala would bring him home on a ground ball to short and actually reached second base when the ball was misfired.

With two outs, Scherer came through again with a double to left center tying the game at 3-3.

Scherer finished with two hits and two RBI while Fiala also had two hits.

Waterloo out hit Eau Claire 8-3 in the loss