Eau Claire, WI – In a crazy game on Monday night, the Eau Claire Express fell to the Willmar Stingers in 11 innings. The Express were able to climb back from a 4-0 deficit but were unable to pull out the victory.

The Stingers got out to an early lead, getting three runs off of Express starting pitcher Jared Lessman (Iowa Western CC) in the 2nd inning. After Willmar picked up another in the 4th, the Express went to work at chipping away the lead. After scoring one in the 4th and 6th, Eau Claire broke through in the 8th for two runs thanks to a sac fly from Max Coupe (Skyline College) and an RBI single off the bat of Benjamin Rosengard (Rice).

Despite the automatic runner at 2nd base during extra innings, neither team managed to score in the 10th inning. The 11th was a different story as Willmar put up three runs to take a commanding lead. The Express tried to fight back but fell just short by the final score of 7-6.

Reed Latimer (Montevallo) was the man of the night for the Express as he finished with four hits, 1 RBI, and two outfield assists. One of his assists came in the 9th when he gunned down the go-ahead run at the plate. Jake Sapien (Stanford) contributed two hits and two RBIs and Sam Kuchinski (Montevallo) notched two hits as well.

The Express will try to split the series tomorrow as they take on Willmar at 6:35 CT at Carson Park.

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The Eau Claire Express is a member of the Northwoods League, the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players. The Northwoods League is the largest organized collegiate baseball league in the world, with 22 teams. With its friendly ballpark settings and high level of competition, it draws significantly more fans than any other league of its kind. All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. For more information, visit www.eauclaireexpress.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. You can also download the Northwoods League Mobile App and set the Express as your favorite team.