The Eau Claire Express have had their share of brilliant pitching performances this season.
The outing by Braxton Bjur on Tuesday definitely ranks near the top of the list.
Bjur turned in an outstanding start, allowing just one hit and one unearned run in Eau Claire’s 5-2 baseball win over Thunder Bay before 1,419 fans at Carson Park.
The 6-foot-4 left-hander from Pima Community College struck out five and walked two in seven superb innings.
“My fastball and sinker were working well, and I was getting ahead of the hitters,” Bjur said. “And my changeup and slider were good later in the game. I trusted my defense. I knew if I put the ball in the zone they would make plays in the field.”
Bjur took a no-hitter into the fifth inning before Bennett Crafton doubled deep into the right-center field gap.
Bjur then recovered to shut the Border Cats down through seven innings.
“I just focused on having fun and making my pitches,” Bjur said. “After the hit, I just had to flush it. It wasn’t a big deal. I just had to keep competing.”
Bjur came out after throwing 91 pitches.
“Braxton was really aggressive and filled up the zone,” Eau Claire manager Dale Varsho said. “He got ahead of the hitters. He showed great resilience. He threw strikes and did a great job. It was fun to watch.”
Bjur thrived with his college catcher, Mikey Muniz, behind the plate Tuesday night.
“It was great having Mikey back there,” Bjur said. “We have a great connection and know each other really well. That helps a lot.”
The first place Express continued their phenomenal play, winning their third straight game while improving to 19-6 in the Northwoods League’s second half.
Designated hitter Hollon Brock led the Eau Claire offense, going 4-for-4 and driving in two runs.
Cade Palkowski knocked in two runs, Philip Cheong scored twice and Muniz had two hits for the Express.
Eau Claire returned home Tuesday after going 6-2 on a nine-day road trip.
“We are playing really well right now,” Varsho said. “I wish we had a little more killer instinct in games and would put teams away. Overall, I can’t complain. These guys have played hard all summer.
“This group is really clicking. Our guys are feeding off each other and having fun.”
The Express play 10 of their final 12 games at home.
“This was a total team effort,” Brock said. “Braxton pitched great and our offense came through with some big hits.
“Our lineup is so deep. If one guy doesn’t have his best game, we have seven or eight other guys who are capable of having multiple hits. It’s been great to be a part of this team.”