Eau Claire, Wis. – The first win of the season for the Express was never in doubt.
Playing in front of a home crowd, the Eau Claire offense exploded in the early innings to cruise to a 22-2 victory over Thunder Bay in the second game of the opening series. The victory brings the Express to 1-1 on the young campaign.
Some small ball gave Eau Claire a pair of runs in each of the first innings to build a comfortable 4-1 advantage, but the crooked number came in the third. A plethora of Border Cat pitchers struggled to find the strike zone, and the Express capitalized. Three runs scored on wild pitches and another came home on a throwing error before four straight hitters tallied RBIs to break things open. Brenden Beals capped off the rally with a double to left to make the score 14-1.
If the game wasn’t already in hand, Alex Hendrickson (St. Thomas) solidified the win in the bottom of the fourth. Three straight free passes loaded the bases for the left fielder, who clobbered a ball well over the short deck in right field for a grand slam and the Express’ first long ball of the season. The blast made it a 19-1 game and slammed the door on any chance of a Thunder Bay comeback.
Starting pitcher Walker Retz (St. Thomas) settled in after giving up an unearned run in the first inning, eventually tossing five innings and picking up the victory. The right-hander gave up just two hits in his impressive outing, with both runs given up scored as unearned.
Returner Carter Endisch (Lewis) had an excellent outing out of the bullpen, facing the minimum in his three innings of work and notching two strikeouts.
Right-hander Bridger Hamilton (Walters State CC) entered for the ninth and struck out the side to secure the win.
The Express return to Carson Park for the final game of the homestand tomorrow to take on La Crosse at 6:35 p.m.
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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. Entering its’ 32nd season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in history 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, nearly 2400 NWL alums have been drafted and over 380 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 (TOR), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford and World Series Champion Chris Sale (ATL). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and 2023 World Series Champion, MLB All-Star, MLB Gold Glove, two-time Silver Slugger winner and two-time All-MLB first team shortstop Marcus Semien (TEX). League games are viewable live on Northwoods League+ (at watch.northwoodsleague.com), ESPN+, and the Northwoods League Network. Learn more and find complete streaming schedules at watchnwl.com. 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.
