Eau Claire, Wis. – The Trains are back in the win column.

The Express rode an early 7-1 lead to victory in the opener against Thunder Bay, holding off a late Border Cats comeback to win 8-5 and snap a four-game skid. Alex Hendrickson (St. Thomas) led the way with two hits and three runs batted in and Kenneth Fistler (Alma) induced two double plays to pick up the five-out save.

The Border Cats got on the board first with Manny Alberto’s RBI double in the opening frame, but Eau Claire responded in a big way. The hosts sent 11 batters to the plate, ultimately scoring five runs on three hits and an error. Hendrickson cleared the bases with a double to the right-center field gap to put the Trains on top before scoring two batters later on an RBI single from JJ Moran (Stanford). Sam Erickson (Texas A&M) walked with the bases loaded in his second at-bat of the inning and suddenly Eau Claire held a commanding 5-1 lead.

The Trains continued to add on in the third. Nick Mascaro (Cal State Bakersfield) demolished a pitch off the tent of the Calhoun Club in right field for his first home run of the season, putting the Express ahead by five. Three walks and a wild pitch followed and Vidal Colon (Illinois–Chicago) came across the plate to extend the advantage to 7-1.

Starting pitcher Max Arlich (Arizona State) pitched well after giving up the early run, shutting down Thunder Bay for the next four innings and allowing his offense to build the lead. He ran into some trouble in his sixth and final inning of work as Devon Smith hit a three-run home run to cut the deficit in half, but the Sun Devil finished out the inning to turn the game over to the bullpen with Eau Claire still leading comfortably.

The visitors continued to inch closer in the eighth as they added another run on Tyrus Hall’s RBI double and reloaded the bases to continue the threat. Express manager Dale Varsho turned to Fistler with one out and three runners on — a move that paid off as the submarine pitcher induced a 5-4-3 double play to escape the inning with a 7-5 lead.

A vital insurance run crossed the plate in the bottom half of the inning for the Trains to extend the lead back to three runs. Jackson Glueck (Pima) worked a leadoff single and moved station-to-station around the basepaths to come home on another Border Cats wild pitch, putting his team ahead 8-5.

Fistler trotted back to the mound for the ninth inning looking to pick up the save for the Express, but the Canton, Mich., native ran into some trouble. Two singles brought the tying run to the plate with one out, but a second double play in as many innings ended the game as Hendrickson glove-flipped a ground ball to second baseman Adam Salazar (Cal State Bakersfield) who fired it on to first for the third out.

The win improved Eau Claire to 3-4 in the second half as Arlich picked up the win. Game 2 of the series against Thunder Bay is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. Tuesday before the Express play a double-header against Minot Wednesday. Chippewa Falls, Wis., native Easton Bobb is scheduled to get the start against the Border Cats.

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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.