The Express needed a win in a big way, and they got it against the Bucks.
Nate Vela (Winona State) was dominant on the mound for Eau Claire and the top of the lineup built an early lead that was enough to give the Trains a huge 4-2 win over division-leading Waterloo.
Vela threw four consecutive balls to start the game to walk Bucks leadoff hitter Trey Butler, but that was as bad as he ever looked. The Greenville, Wis., native settled in to throw six innings of near-flawless ball, with his only hit of the game a single from Mack Brousseau in the fifth that was immediately erased as a perfect Express relay beat him to second as he tried to stretch it into a double. Vela finished with an impressive line of six innings, zero runs, one hit, seven strikeouts and the win.
Meanwhile, the Eau Claire offense went to work. Nearly identical plays in the first and the third scored the first two runs of the game, as McGwire Turner (Montevallo) doubled to left-center field to drive in Alex Hendrickson (St. Thomas) in each of those frames.
The Bucks notched their first run of the game in the seventh inning, but the Express answered right back. After a single and a balk put Adam Salazar (Cal State Bakersfield) on second, Hendrickson knocked a single of his own to score him. Three batters later, Marcelino Alonso (Madison College) doubled down the left field line to make it a 4-1 game.
Zach Lyles (Western Kentucky) worked as the setup man in the seventh and eighth frames, giving up just the one run to turn things over to Andres Castro (Pima) for the save opportunity.
Castro notched a strikeout for the first out of the ninth, but Waterloo threatened with the bases loaded. A deep fly ball to center fielder landed in Alonso’s glove, allowing one run to score from third, but the play was not over — Alonso fired it into shortstop Joey Flom (Minnesota–Duluth) who turned and placed a perfect throw to Salazar to get the runner attempting to tag up and reach second for a game-ending double play.
The win moved Eau Claire to 5-8 on the season. Game 2 of the series will be Sunday afternoon at 2:05 p.m. as the Express look for the sweep at Carson Park.
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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.
