Eau Claire, WI – In a game that lasted just under 4 hours, the Express pulled out the exhausting extra-innings walkoff win. The final score after this marathon game between the Trains and Minnesota Mud Puppies read 15-14 in favor of Eau Claire.
Trey Felker (Montevallo) started on the mound for the Men in Orange, and went for the first 4 innings, giving up limited damage. In the top of the 2nd Minnesota drove in 3 runs to take the lead.
This scoring only served to throw coal into the fire of the charging Trains though, as in the bottom of the very same inning, the Express went off for 9 runs.
5 hits came in this inning, as the Men in Orange batted through their lineup en route to their 9-run romp.
After this spurt, it looked like the hometown team would be in the clear for the rest of the game. The following pitchers that entered the game for Eau Claire struggled though, as the Mud Puppies started to claw their way back into the contest.
Lefty Caden MacDonald (Michigan) looked solid in his brief appearance, throwing for 2 1/3 innings, and giving up just 1 unearned run on 0 hits. In addition to the lack of hits given up, MacDonald also recorded 5 strikeouts in his time on the mound. His efforts began to look as if they were in vain though, as Minnesota scored at least one run in 4 consecutive innings, following his exit.
In the top of the 9th inning, the Mud Puppies scored 2 more runs to put them up on the Express. Eau Claire responded quickly with 2 of their own to begin the extras.
Nick Fitzanko (Missouri-St. Louis) was tapped to close the door on the Mud Puppies, and he managed to give up just 1 run unearned run in the top of the 10th inning. With a ghost runner in Bronson Rivera (Hawaii) starting on 2nd base to begin the bottom half of the 10th, Eau Claire was determined to pull off the now-comeback win.
Two runners were moved into scoring position on a Temo Becerra (Stanford) walk, and a Marcus Cline (Tulane) Sac Bunt.
With the game on the line, the Minnesota closer began to struggle, as he walked in the tying run on a Wild Pitch. This caused the Mud Puppies to intentionally walk the proceeding two batters, in an attempt to set up a double play. These efforts backfired though, when Cort MacDonald (Stanford) stepped into the box.
MacDonald took his time in his AB, drawing a full count with the bases loaded. In this pivotal situation, he used his most selective eyes to watch ball 4 come off the plate, driving in the winning run via a walk.
With this Walkoff-win, the Express have now won 4 straight games.
They will look to make it 5 in a row in tomorrow afternoon’s contest vs. the Mud Puppies. First pitch will come at 2:05 pm CT, and the theme for the day will be Sunday Funday. Be sure to stop out to the park for another great game, and an excellent fan atmosphere!
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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’ 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.