Express rewrite records as Eau Claire rolls to 19-4 win over the Loggers

Two franchise records were set as the Express rolled to a 19-4 shellacking of the La Crosse Loggers at Carson Park Sunday afternoon.

Brigs Richartz set a new record for most runs scored in a game for the Express with five and Owen Washburn rewrote the Eau Claire record book for most RBIs with seven in the game that was dominated by the home team from start to finish.

Coming off Thursday night’s huge 10-inning win over the Woodchucks, the Express struggled on Friday and Saturday dropping a 14-9 contest against Wausau Friday and losing to the Loggers on the road Saturday by a 7-3 count. On what was dubbed as “Halloween Night” at Carson Park, it was the Express who provided all the tricks as the Loggers never were in contention during a game that saw four multiple-run innings for Eau Claire.

In Sunday’s game, the Express got on the scoreboard first in their half of the first inning on a Richartz earned run that started the left fielder’s race to rewriting the record books.

The Loggers got two runs in the second, but Eau Claire dominated innings two, three and four to make it 7-2 Express entering the top of the sixth inning.

Davis Rivers earned a run in the second inning, followed by a Richartz homer in the third. The Express then exploded in the fourth inning, scoring four runs, including another earned run for Richartz and scores by Colton Wemhoff, Reggie Bussey and Washburn.

The Loggers would get a run in the seventh and another in the eighth, but this game belonged to the Express from start to finish.

Three runs from the Express in both the sixth and eighth innings, with an explosive six-run effort in the seventh sandwiched in between, catapulted Eau Claire to the blowout victory.

In the sixth inning, Bussey scored a run off a homer from Washburn that also advanced Richartz to home plate. The seventh-inning Express antics were highlighted by runs from Brady Blake, Bussey, Richartz, Washburn and Gabe Richardson — on a double to right field by Rivers — and Ethan Ferris. Wemhoff, Blake and Bussey capped of the scoring for the good guys in the eighth inning in the rout.

Jace Kirby (2-0) got the win for the Express and Michael Debattista (1-1) suffered the loss for the Loggers. Richartz ended the day with three hits and two RBIs and Washburn had three runs and five hits in the winning effort. Bussey scored an impressive four runs on the day.

With Sunday’s, the Express currently sit at 15-19 on the season, which is good for fifth place in the Great Plains East Division of the Northwoods Baseball League.

Next up for Eau Claire, a Monday night faceoff against the Waterloo Bucks on the road at. First pitch is set for 6:35 p.m. at Waterloo Riverfront Stadium.