Eau Claire, Wis. – The Trains played their most complete contest of the season in Game 1 of the second half.
Eau Claire dominated the Honkers in all phases of Tuesday evening’s game en route to a 6-0 victory. Starting pitcher Max Arlich (Arizona State) threw six scoreless innings and four Express hitters notched multi-hit days as the Trains rolled to the home win.
The scoring got started in the second inning as McGwire Turner (Montevallo) singled to drive in JJ Moran (Stanford), but the offensive outburst came in the fourth. Nine batters stepped to the plate for Eau Claire in the inning, ultimately scoring four runs on six hits to blow the game open and take a commanding 5-0 lead.
Marcelino Alonso (Indiana State) and Dante Vachini (Cal Poly) each grabbed a hit to start the inning, with Vachini’s blast to center field serving as his second double in as many games with the Express. Alonso was thrown out at home on a fielder’s choice but Eau Claire quickly got back to work, as Quinton Coats (Cincinnati) lined a ball through the paneling on the left-field fence for an RBI double.
Turner, Ian Guanzon (East Tennessee State) and Matthew Cormier (Cal State Northridge) each singled in the next three at-bats and suddenly the Trains were ahead 5-0. Turner drove in two in the fourth while Cormier knocked in the final run of the rally.
Arlich began to dominate after working around two hits in the first, eventually tallying three strikeouts and allowing just four hits in his six innings of work. Kenneth Fistler (Alma) relieved the Sun Devil southpaw, allowing a hit in each of his innings but quickly ending the threat each time for a pair of scoreless frames.
The Express added one final insurance run in the eighth as Coats demolished the second pitch of the inning onto the Carson Park football field beyond the left-field wall.
Andres Castro (Pima) closed the game out for Eau Claire, working three quick outs including a strikeout in the ninth to secure the win.
The Express and the Honkers meet again in the Chippewa Valley Wednesday night for the second game of the two-game series. First pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. as Eau Claire looks to remain undefeated in the young second half.
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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.
