The Eau Claire Express were swinging in the rain. And loving every minute of it.
Nothing can stop the red hot Express right now. Not even a steady rain that fell for much of the night.
The Express hammered Rochester pitching, erupting for a huge night offensively in a 17-4 win before 1,091 fans Friday night at Carson Park.
With the win, Eau Claire clinched a Northwoods League baseball playoff berth. The Express will make their first postseason appearance in three years.
The Express are 22-6 in the second half and have won their last six games.
“This team has been so resilient all year,” Express manager Dale Varsho said. “Making the playoffs was something they really wanted. They want to play for each other and that’s great to see.
“This group has been amazing. They play with a lot of confidence.”
Eau Claire center fielder C.J. Varsho turned in his best game of the season with a phenomenal performance.
Varsho, the manager’s son, went 4-for-5, scored four runs and drove in three.
“I saw a lot of fastballs,” he said. “I got in a lot of good hitter’s counts and took advantage of that.”
Varsho’s defense was every bit as impressive. He made a spectacular diving catch early in the game before later adding an excellent running grab in center.
“I am really comfortable out there and knowing where I’m at helps a lot,” Varsho said. “I just try to make plays to help the team.”
Dale Varsho enjoyed watching the show that his son put on.
“C.J. had one heck of a night for us,” Dale Varsho said. “The catch he made was amazing, that was a really good play. Hopefully, we got good video of that.
“Overall, he just had a great game. He had four hits and put the ball in play. He’s made some adjustments and he really swung the bat well.”
Starting pitching once again was impressive for the home team.
Starter Sawyer Hoffman went six strong innings while striking out nine batters.
The hitting stars were numerous for the Express. Hollon Brock continued his stellar season, driving in four runs.
Eau Claire’s Matthew Maulik scored three times and drove in three runs. Teammate Landon Ubrig blasted a towering home run to left field late in the contest.
“Seeing everybody have success, it’s awesome,” Brock said. “Making the playoffs is huge for us. It’s great to be able to play extra baseball and compete for a championship.”
Eau Claire’s pitching staff also set a new franchise record by recording its 621st strikeout of the season.
“Our pitching staff has been great all season,” Varsho said. “They just continue to come through. We had another good start tonight.”
Eau Claire improved to 40-21 on the season and will now battle first half champion La Crosse for the best overall record in the Great Plains East.
The team with the best record will have home-field advantage in the playoffs. The teams are tied with eight games left in the regular season.
The Express are firing on all cylinders right now.
“We have great chemistry on this team,” C.J. Varsho said. “It’s been a lot of fun to be a part of it. There are no egos on this team. We all love each other and we all play for each other.
“We are going for the 1 seed. We are trying to get home field advantage to play in front of these amazing fans.”
The Express continue to thrive with numerous players making key contributions.
“We are trying to play as long as we can,” Brock said. “The goal is to win the last game we play. We hope that will be for the championship.
“We probably have the most depth in the league. We have great camaraderie and most of our guys have been here all season. We have had a bunch of guys play well and really step up.”