Eau Claire, WI – The Eau Claire Express (4-12) lost to the Willmar Stingers (9-7) Wednesday night at Bill Taunton Stadium. For the second straight night, the Stingers took an early lead and the Express failed to respond.
The only Express run came in the 6th inning. Andrew Pratt (Lubbock Christian) advanced to first on a single. Tommy Gillman (Midland JC) reached on a walk, advancing Pratt to second. Nate Thimjon (Fresno State) drove Pratt in on an RBI single. The other two Express hits were singles from Spencer Myers (Notre Dame) and Adam LaRock (MATC).
Andrew Dean (Illinois-Springfield) got the start for the Express and took the loss. He tossed six innings allowing three runs on five hits, walking three and striking out four. Reagan MacDonald (Dallas Baptist) had an excellent night in relief. MacDonald went two innings to finish the game, allowing no hits or runs and striking out four.
The Stingers offense was hot in the middle innings, scoring in the 4th, 5th, and 6th. Tyler Reichenborn lead off the 4th inning with a walk. John Trousdale hit a double and move Reichenborn to third. He would score during Jayson Newman’s at bat. In the 5th inning, Brett Bello began with a single, followed by a Caleb Ricca single that advanced Brello to third. Richie Garcia drove in the run on a sacrifice fly to center field. The last run came in the 6th inning. Trousdale singled to get on base. He advanced to second on a wild pitch and to third on an error by the catcher. Trousdale crossed home plate after a fielder’s choice hit by Calvin Estrada.
The Eau Claire Express return home on Thursday, June 14th for a 6:35 pm first pitch on Teacher Appreciation Night. The game is presented by the Career Development Center and Express T-shirts will be given away to fans (while supplies last)!
Season tickets and 5-Game Packs are on sale now. 5-Game Packs include a reserved seat, Express jersey, Express hat, Express mug, and unlimited food and beverage for $70. Click here to purchase your 5-Game Pack online and we will contact you about your seats. You can also call us at (715)839-7788. Jersey sizes will be available on a first come, first serve basis.
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The Eau Claire Express are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Now in its 25th anniversary season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 20 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, more than 190 former Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist (CHC) and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET) and Curtis Granderson (TOR). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. For more information, visit www.eauclaireexpress.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Express as your favorite team.