Eau Claire WI – Waterloo faced the charging trains head-on this Monday Night, and this time they got the better of the Eau Claire Squad as the Bucks beat the Express 6-5.

Jacob Taggart (Utah Tech) started on the mound for the Express and had a 1-2-3 first inning. That is unfortunately as good as it got for Taggart, as he gave up 5 runs in the 2nd and 3rd innings, with 3 of them being Earned. Waterloo’s starter, Kade Douglas’ luck lasted a little longer, although his night was sullied by a 4-run push from the Express in the 5th and 6th innings combined.

This string of scoring was sparked by a solo Tanner Marsh (St. Thomas) home run in the 5th. As the ball sailed over the Rightfield wall, and into the fan deck, the Express were on the board.

The 6th saw even more scoring as Reed Latimer (Montevallo), Grant Gilooly (Santa Fe CC), and Kaden Galason (Belmont) all hit strong singles to the outfield. With baserunners on, Nate Witte (UWEC) stepped up and hit a 2-RBI single to the right fielder.

The Express were down 4-5 going into the bottom of the 8th, after a strong 1-2-3 inning from relief pitcher, Hunter Rosenbaum (NDSU). Things continued to go well with a Rayth Peterson single in the bottom of that same inning. As Petersen rounded first, the Waterloo left fielder watched the ball roll by him, so Petersen took 2. Checking on the fumbling fielder, Petersen saw his chance and made his way towards 3rd, where the Bucks defender overthrew the 3rd baseman and he slid in safely. As Galason stepped up to the plate, he hit a towering Sacrifice Fly to centerfield, which allowed Petersen to score easily.

This had the game all knotted up going into the top of the 9th, where last year’s All-Star closer, Matt Helwig (Lewis) came in to pitch. Although he recorded a strikeout early in the inning, a hit-by-pitch allowed a runner on the basepaths. This runner proved to be the deciding factor in the game, as he stole his way around the bases, before finally scoring on a passed ball.

In the bottom of the 9th, the Express, unfortunately, were not able to get anything going, as their batters went down 1-2-3.

The Express have a two-day break following their 4-game homestand but will be back in action this Thursday, June 8th at Bismarck.

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.