Eau Claire, WI – The Eau Claire Express opened up their season Monday Night with a loss to their division-rival Lacrosse Loggers with a final score of 8-3.

Cory Ronan (Hawaii) opened up the night on the mound for the Express, working his way out of an early jam in the 1st inning. The Lacrosse batters got the best of him in the top of the 2nd though, as he gave up a pair of singles, and walked runners around the bases multiple times.

Lacrosse’s starter, Josh Leerssen was sharp through 6 innings, throwing for 6 strikeouts and giving up just 2 hits. His skill on the mound made for a difficult night at the plate for Eau Claire batters. The Express was able to put the ball in play for the most part, but Leerssen pitched himself out of whatever jams he may have found himself in.

Tonight was a good night for Eau Claire’s Pinch Hitters, recording 3 of the team’s 4 hits. These fresh bats provided immediate impact, including a towering Grant Gilooly (Santa Fe CC) double, which bounced its way off the top of the Right Center wall. Following some confusion on the basepath, Gilooly was able to capitalize on an error by the Lacrosse 3rd baseman, taking 3rd, while lead runner Ryan Nagelbach (UIC) scored.

This was Eau Claire’s lone run until the bottom of the 9th inning, where they showed promise at the plate, when the Pinch Hitters gave their lineup a boost. Bronson Rivera (Hawaii) singled, moving up Gilooly. This was followed by a Barry Eiseman (Montevallo) Double which scored the lead runner and Rivera, adding two runs to Eau Claire’s campaign but ultimately coming short of Lacrosse’s insurmountable lead.

Eau Claire will get the chance for a rematch against Lacrosse tomorrow night with the game starting at 6:35 p.m. CST, before coming back home to Carson Park on Friday, June 2nd.

Boxscore

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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 Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Now in its’ 29^th season, the Northwoods 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, 300 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time All-Star and 2016 Roberto Clemente Award winner Curtis Granderson, three-time Cy Young Award winner and World Series Champion Max Scherzer (NYM), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (BOS). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and 2021 All-Star, MLB Gold Glove winner and 2019 Second Team All-MLB shortstop Marcus Semien (TEX). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. League games are viewable live at watchnwl.com and on ESPN+. 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.