The Express dropped all three games of their first multi-game road trip of the summer.
Eau Claire lost a pair of one-run games in La Crosse before heading west to Rochester, where it fell 11-6 to the Honkers in the first matchup of the season between the Great Plains East division rivals. The losses moved the Express to 4-7 on the young season.
Tuesday evening’s opener against the Loggers was a low-scoring affair, with the Loggers leading 3-0 heading into the top of the ninth inning as Eau Claire had its last chance to get back in the ballgame. With a pair of runners on base, McGwire Turner (Montevallo) skied a ball to right-center field that appeared to leave the park, but the umpire crew ruled that it bounced off the wall. A home run would have tied the game, but instead it was only a two-RBI double, and the Express couldn’t knock in the game tying run, ultimately falling 3-2.
Josh Glaser (Texas State) posted a solid start with four innings pitched and only one earned run while newcomer Payton Barton (Illinois–Chicago) impressed in his Express debut, throwing two scoreless innings and striking out three.
Looking to split the series, the Express battled back late in Wednesday’s game. Trailing 3-1 this time around, Nick Mascaro (Cal State Bakersfield) hit a third straight single to start the inning that scored Jake Busson (Illinois–Chicago) to cut the deficit in half. Howie Rickett (Madison College) grounded out to second for the second out of the inning, but his collegiate teammate Marcelino Alonso (Madison College) was able to score from third on the play to tie things up.
La Crosse responded quickly with a sacrifice fly to regain the lead in the bottom half and Eau Claire was unable to manufacture a tying run in its last opportunity at the plate. The loss moved the Express to 0-4 this season against the Loggers.
In the final game of the road trip, the Express struggled in their first contest of the season against the Honkers. Rochester scored a run in the third and fourth before exploding for a seven-run fifth inning to take a commanding lead. Eau Claire responded with a five-run sixth featuring RBIs from Adam Salazar (Cal State Bakersfield), Alex Hendrickson (St. Thomas) and McGwire, but the Honker bats were just too much for the Express. The home side extended its lead an inning later and took home the 11-5 victory.
Eau Claire returns home for the weekend with a chance to end its skid, taking on Rochester Friday night at 6:35 p.m. before hosting Waterloo for a pair of games Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon.
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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.
