Eau Claire, Wis. – On a gloomy night at Carson Park, the Express dropped a frustrating game to their in-state rivals.
In a change of pace from the barnburners in Eau Claire’s opening series against Thunder Bay, Wednesday’s contest between the Express and the Loggers was a fast-moving affair. La Crosse ultimately manufactured the winning run in the 10th inning to complete the come-from-behind victory.
A heads-up play in the top of the 10th from Adam Salazar (Cal State Bakersfield) to fire a grounder home for the force gave Express righty Kenny Fistler (Alma) the first out of the inning, but the bases remained loaded. Loggers right fielder Aaron Mingo took advantage, hitting a chopper over Fistler’s head that shortstop Joey Flom couldn’t quite get to, resulting in an infield single to drive in Mateo Gray for the winning run. A 3-2-3 double play ended the inning and limited the damage to one to give Eau Claire a chance to tie it, but a quick out and a double play ended the opportunity.
Starting pitcher Josh Glaser (Texas State) posted the best start of the young season for the Express, going six innings and striking out eight. The Flower Mound, Texas, native gave up a two-run shot in the third, but both runs were unearned due to a Flom throwing error to open the inning that would’ve eventually been the third out of the frame prior to the blast. Glaser was excellent otherwise, ultimately surrendering just four hits and no earned runs.
While La Crosse starter Luispablo Navarro dazzled for the first six innings — he faced just two more batters than the minimum in that stretch — he ran into some trouble in the seventh. Nick Mascaro’s (Cal State Bakersfield) ground-rule double put two in scoring position with nobody out, and Alex Hendrickson’s (St. Thomas) RBI groundout put the Express on the board and forced Navarro out of the game. Reliever Bobby McDonough didn’t fare much better, surrendering an RBI double on his first pitch to Ian Guanzon (San Joaquin Delta) before eventually giving up the go-ahead RBI single to Adam Salazar (Cal State Bakersfield). The three-run inning was Eau Claire’s first sign of offense and gave the home side the lead it was seeking.
Trailing 3-2 entering the eighth, La Crosse needed to push one across to tie it before running out of outs. It did just that, with a Savion Flowers single starting the rally before he eventually came home on a dropped third strike that would’ve ended the inning. The misstep knotted the game at three apiece and ultimately gave the Loggers the extra frame they needed to get the job done.
The sides will meet again tomorrow as the Express travel to La Crosse for a 6:35 p.m. matchup.
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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.
