
Express Hold Strong Through 9, Beat the Loggers
July 20, 2023 - Northwoods League (Northwoods)
Eau Claire Express News Release
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!
Northwoods League Stories from July 20, 2023
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- Rockers Win Close Game Over Mallards In Extra Innings - Green Bay Rockers
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- Wisconsin Rapids Blows Late Lead, Falls in Extras - Wisconsin Rapids Rafters
- Dock Spiders Shut Out Chinooks 3-0 - Fond du Lac Dock Spiders
- Wausau Defeats Rockford 7-4 - Wausau Woodchucks
- Chris Rofe Pitching Masterclass Leads to 2-0 Stingers' Victory Over Rox - Willmar Stingers
- Pitching Dual Ends in 2-0 Loss - St. Cloud Rox
- Express Hold Strong Through 9, Beat the Loggers - Eau Claire Express
- Lakeshore Blanked by Dock Spiders in Game 1 - Lakeshore Chinooks
- Magic in Mankato - Mankato MoonDogs
- Extra Innings Continue to Haunt Madison, Drop Series Opener - Madison Mallards
- Rivets Win with Walk off to Come Back and Beat Traverse City - Rockford Rivets
- Rockford Rivets Dominate Traverse City Pit Spitters 7-2 - Rockford Rivets
- Rox Have Six All-Stars for Northwoods League All-Star Game - St. Cloud Rox
- Roger Clemens Appearance Added to Northwoods League All-Star Game Festivities - Traverse City Pit Spitters
- Express Sending 5 to Bismarck for All-Star Game - Eau Claire Express
- Place Your Bid for the 2023 Stinger Jersey Auction Presented by Thrivent - Willmar Stingers
- Rockers Travel to Madison for Second Half of Road Trip - Green Bay Rockers
- Four Bucks Named NWL Great Plains All-Stars - Waterloo Bucks
- Northwoods League Announces 2023 Great Plains All-Star Selections - Northwoods
- Express Split Series with Bucks - Eau Claire Express
- Seven Former Chinooks Sign MLB Contracts in 2023 - Lakeshore Chinooks
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