Eau Claire, WI – The Eau Claire Express (14-9, 33-26) dropped game one of the series to the Willmar Stingers (11-12, 33-26) by a final of 5-2. It was a close game until the 7th inning, and the Express could not fight back.
Lakeland University Postgame Recap
The first two innings of the ballgame were silent in a complete pitchers’ duel. Willmar was the first to break that battle, scoring an unearned run in the top of the 3rd inning. They would score again on an unearned run in the top of the 5th inning to hold a 2-0 lead.
Eau Claire cut into that score by getting a run on the board in the bottom of the 5th. Cole Cabrera (Cal Poly) slashed a triple to left field and scored in the next at bat on a ground out hit by Brock Burton (Grand Canyon).
The Stingers drove two more in during the top of the 7th inning and went up 4-1. These two runs were the first earned runs of the game for the Stingers and came off two hits and a wild pitch.
Attempting a comeback, the Express scored a run in the bottom of the 8th inning. Burton walked and scored off a double hit by Matt Bottcher (Illinois-Springfield). While Eau Claire continued to threaten in the inning, they could not get any more runs across. Willmar added an insurance run in the top of the 9th to put the score at the final 5-2.
Nick Alvarado (Illinois-Springfield) had a nice start in this evening’s ballgame. The junior tossed 6.0 innings and gave up four runs, two being earned. Alvarado struck out eight. Eau Claire native, Zach Gustafson, finished the last three innings of relief and allowed a run on two hits and two walks.
Tomorrow is doubleheader day! The Express and Stingers will play two games on Tuesday, with 1:05 and 7:05 first pitches. Game 1 of our double-header will feature a special discount for area daycare providers. Join us again during Game 2 of the double-header for Changing Diabetes Night, sponsored by Novo Nordisk!
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The Eau Claire Express are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The 25-year old summer collegiate league is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 22 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, over 200 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 (MIA). 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.