Weekend wrap-up: Eau Claire Legion team falls in final four at Great Lakes Regional
Aug. 7—The Eau Claire Pizza Hut Post 53 Legion baseball team's run came to an end in the final four of the Great Lakes Regional on Saturday in Midland, Mich.
Post 53 knocked out Illinois state champion Aviston on Friday to advance to the final four, but fell to Midland 6-1 on Saturday to conclude its season. By reaching the final four of the regional, Eau Claire was one of the last 32 teams standing in the national playoffs.
Eau Claire overturned a 7-3 deficit to defeat Aviston 10-7 on Friday. Post 53 scored six times in the bottom of the fourth inning. Dylan O'Connell's two-RBI double tied the game at seven, and Gabe Richardson gave Eau Claire the lead for good with a two-RBI single. Andrew Milner pitched a complete game to pick up the win.
O'Connell went 3 for 3 with two doubles and four RBIs in the victory, and Luke Erickson added three hits of his own.
Eau Claire fell to Midland a day later, and Midland went on to win the regional and advance to the American Legion World Series. Midland took a 2-0 lead in the first inning against Eau Claire, and Post 53 couldn't catch up. Erickson scored on a wild pitch in the third inning to trim Midland's lead to one run, but Eau Claire couldn't get any closer. Midland tacked on a run in the bottom of the third, two more in the fourth and another in the sixth.
Eau Claire wrapped up its summer with a 25-17 record.
Express inch closer to playoffs
Adam Stanton pitched eight shutout innings as the Eau Claire Express blanked Minnesota 5-0 on Sunday at Carson Park. The victory stretched Eau Claire's lead atop the Great Plains East Division to 5.5 games entering the final full week of the regular season.
Stanton struck out five and limited the Mud Puppies to four hits to earn his second win of the summer. A sacrifice fly from Sam Kuchinski in the fourth inning gave Eau Claire the only run it needed. Charlie Szykowny added a two-run homer in the eighth inning for the Express.
Eau Claire now sits 5.5 games ahead of La Crosse in the division standings with six games left to play.
The Express fell to Bismarck 3-2 on Friday and beat Minnesota 10-5 on Saturday. Reed Latimer homered and drove in three runs in the win over the Mud Puppies.
Eau Claire begins a five-game road trip on Monday with a visit to Duluth. The Express' final home game is set for next Saturday against Rochester, the team's regular-season finale.
