Eau Claire, Wis. – There were plenty of offensive fireworks on Independence Day at Carson Park, but the Express ultimately dropped the series finale to Mankato 11-9.
Mankato posted a five-run sixth inning that broke a tie and blew the game wide open, putting the visitors in control for the remainder of the game. Eau Claire attempted to mount a furious comeback for a third straight night but ultimately fell short as the MoonDogs came away with the sweep.
With the score knotted at 5-5 after as many innings, the Mankato offense decided it was time to stake its claim for the series sweep. Back-to-back one-out singles scored the first run of the inning and the MoonDogs were off and running. A hit batter and two walks allowed Mankato to continue its rally and keep pushing runs across, and Tony Lira’s two-out single put the finishing touches on the rally that gave his team a 10-5 advantage.
After a quiet seventh, the Express began their uphill battle in the bottom of the eighth. Consecutive singles to start the inning from Matthew Cormier (Cal State Northridge) and Alex Hendrickson (St. Thomas) — his fourth hit of the game — put two runners on. Marcelino Alonso (Indiana State) laid down a good sacrifice bunt two pitches later that Mankato pitcher Drew Brown overthrew for an error, allowing one run to score and putting Hendrickson on third. JJ Moran (Stanford) notched the big hit once again for the Trains, blasting a two-run home run to left field that cut the deficit to 10-8.
Mankato responded with an insurance run in the top of the ninth on a sacrifice bunt, making Eau Claire’s task in the home half just that much more difficult. A lineout and a strikeout put the MoonDogs just one out away from a second consecutive sweep to start the second half, but Cormier blasted a homer to left-center field to bring the Trains back within two. The blast gave a renewed sense of hope to the Express, but Hendrickson grounded out to second to end the game.
The MoonDogs got out to an early lead by scoring two in the second inning off starting pitcher Andres Castro (Pima), but Eau Claire responded in a big way to take the lead. Three singles and a walk pushed the first run of the game across for the Express and set up Moran with the bases loaded and two outs. The shortstop came through in a big way, roping a liner down the third-base line for a bases-clearing double. The hit notched the first three of his five RBIs on the night.
The lead didn’t last long, as Mankato immediately responded with a double and a home run to start the third to tie the game at 4-4.
Eau Claire regained the lead with a bases-loaded double play that scored a run in the fourth, but the MoonDogs responded again with an RBI walk to tie the game at 5-5 and set up for the big inning one frame later.
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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.
