Eau Claire, Wis. – Just like that, the first half of the 2025 Northwoods League season comes to an end.
The Express dropped an exciting 9-7 series finale to Duluth to finish the first half of play 13-20. Both teams got on the scoreboard early but the Huskies sustained their scoring throughout the night at Carson Park to secure the win and the series victory.
Chaos ensued in the first inning as both sides bundled together a slew of hits and errors for lots of early scoring. Duluth plated four in the inning but the Express responded quickly to stay within striking distance, pushing three runs across on four hits.
Alex Hendrickson (St. Thomas), Dante Vachini (Cal Poly) and Quinton Coats (Cincinnati) all singled to start the inning and a slew of Husky miscues — including two errors and a balk — let the Trains pull closer. McGwire Turner (Montevallo) notched the only RBI of the inning with a run-scoring groundout. When all the dust had finally settled, Duluth led 4-3.
The Huskies added one in the third and two more in the fifth, extending their lead to a commanding 7-3 advantage and knocking Eau Claire starting pitcher Lorenzo Atwell (Walters State CC) out of the game.
Both sides added to the scoreboard in the fifth to continue the fast-paced nature of the contest. The Huskies added one in the top half of the frame before the Express pushed runs across for the first time since the opening inning. Vidal Colon (Illinois–Chicago) led the rally off with a double off the very top of the left-field wall, eventually scoring after another balk and an RBI groundout from Hendrickson. First baseman Jackson Glueck (Pima) also came around in the inning. Despite the rally for Eau Claire, Duluth still held a comfortable 8-5 lead.
The Express continued to mount their comeback with a run in the seventh to make it a two-run game. Hendrickson got a rally started once again with a single up the middle and moved to third on the newcomer Vachini’s double down the left-field line, eventually scoring on the Huskies’ third balk of the game.
Trailing 8-6, Eau Claire had scored three unanswered runs heading into the ninth. Duluth managed to score a crucial insurance run though, plating its ninth tally on three hits in the inning to go ahead 9-6.
With three outs to work with, the Express didn’t go quietly in the ninth. Colon reached on a walk to start the inning and back-to-back hits once again from Hendrickson and Vachini — the third time of the night that the duo at the top of the order notched consecutive hits — brought Eau Claire back within two. With the tying run on base, the Trains once again could not get the clutch hit they needed, falling 9-7.
The home stand continues Tuesday as the Express open up the month of July and the second half with a home series against Rochester. Game 1 is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. at Carson Park as all 24 teams in the Northwoods League begin the half with a 0-0 record vying for a coveted playoff spot.
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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.
