Eau Claire, Wis. – Trailing 7-4 in the ninth for the second night in a row, the Express could not replicate their heroics Wednesday night.
The Trains were able to string together three singles in the final inning to pull within a run, just as they had done Tuesday night. The outcome was less fortunate for Eau Claire this time around though, as an infield popout stranded the tying run on base as Mankato held on for a 7-6 victory.
The MoonDogs got on the board first in the series opener, as the third of three consecutive hits to begin the third inning was a home run for Collin Jennings to make the score 3-0. Starting pitcher Walker Retz (St. Thomas) worked around some additional traffic to end the inning, but the damage had been done to force the Express to climb uphill once again.
Eau Claire showed its first significant offense an inning later as three consecutive singles got the home side on the board. Jackson Glueck (Pima) got the third knock of the rally to right field to drive in Quinton Coats (Cincinnati). A second run came across one batter later as Matthew Cormier (Cal State Northridge) grounded into a double play that allowed Ian Guanzon (East Tennessee State) to trot home from third, cutting the deficit to 3-2.
Mankato answered immediately in the fifth and re-extended its lead, scoring three runs in the frame to go ahead 6-2. Three hits, a walk, an Express error and a hit by pitch allowed the visitors to plate the trio of runs to regain the game’s momentum.
Facing the four-run deficit, the Trains — and more specifically, JJ Moran (Stanford) — were determined to get themselves back in the ballgame. Moran smashed the first pitch of the sixth inning over the wall in left field to cut the deficit to 6-3. After the MoonDogs scored a seventh run in the next inning he did it again, this time bouncing a ball off the foul pole in right field to make it 7-4.
Austin Mattingly (Sauk Valley CC) retired all six batters he faced in the eighth and ninth innings to afford the Eau Claire offense one last chance. His two perfect frames of work came in his debut as a member of the Express.
After a leadoff strikeout put Eau Claire just two outs away from its first loss of the second half, the Trains went to work. Alex Hendrickson (St. Thomas) and Marcelino Alonso (Indiana State) each singled to put two runners on base, and after Dante Vachini (Cal Poly) grounded into a fielder’s choice and advanced to second on a wild pitch, both he and Hendrickson stood in scoring position. Moran capitalized with his third hit of the day, a single that scored both runners and improved his RBI tally on the day to four.
Moran’s base hit brought the red-hot Coats to the plate, but the Bearcat could not get the job done as he popped out to end the game.
The loss dropped the Express to 2-1 in the second half. Game 2 of the series with the MoonDogs is scheduled for 5:05 p.m. Thursday evening due to the Fourth of July.
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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.
