Eau Claire WI – The Express were back in town Monday night, but can’t get the job done as they drop the first game of their 4-game series to the Thunder Bay Border Cats with a final score of 1-3.
The starting pitching for Eau Claire was strong as Isaac Lyon (GCU) reached his game maximum, topping out at 106 pitches through 8 innings of work. Through 8 he gave up 4 hits and 3 runs, though 1 one of the 3 was earned.
Offensively the team struggled, recording only 4 hits on the night. One of the 4 was a blooper single by newly acquired Centerfielder Cort MacDonald (Stanford). MacDonald got the start in Center tonight, and showed promise, going 1-4 at the plate, with some nice defensive grabs as well.
Eau Claire had some costly errors in the infield, including a Thunder Bay Sacrifice Bunt which was overthrown by a charging Express infielder. This ultimately led to two runs scoring in the top of the 6th.
Although Eau Claire showed some life in the bottom of the 9th, as they brought a man home on a wild pitch, they ultimately weren’t able to capitalize with runners on base. With tonight’s loss, the Express drop to 2nd place in the Great Plains East division behind Thunder Bay.
The Men in Orange will look to even the series up tomorrow with another home game vs. the Border Cats. First pitch will come at 6:35 pm CT and the game will be presented by 92.9-The X.
###
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’ 30th season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 24 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 325 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.