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Published On: July 10th, 2025

Eau Claire, Wis. – It all ended even after a long day of baseball at Carson Park as the Express and the Hot Tots split a doubleheader one game apiece.

Eau Claire cruised to a 5-1 victory in the morning game on the back of a strong performance by its pitching staff before falling to Minot 11-6 in the nightcap. The 1-1 day moved the Express to 5-5 in the second half, still 3.5 games behind division-leading Duluth.

Minot jumped ahead in the first game with a run in the second inning, but that was the only tally the visitors would get in the game. Connor Lovin (Dodge City CC) worked 4.1 innings of one-run baseball on five hits while striking out five, just what the Express needed to begin the two-game day.

The Eau Claire offense finally got going in the fourth inning as Nick Mascaro (Cal State Bakersfield) got his team on the board with a sacrifice fly to right before Vidal Colon (Illinois–Chicago) gave the Express the 2-1 lead with an RBI single. That would hold as the go-ahead run throughout the rest of the game.

The Trains extended the advantage in the sixth inning with a trio of insurance runs. Three batters reached in the bottom of the order to load the bases for leadoff hitter Alex Hendrickson (St. Thomas), who grounded out to second base to drive in the first run of the inning. Two pitches later, outfielder Marcelino Alonso (Indiana State) singled sharply up the middle to score two more and put the Express ahead comfortably with the 5-1 lead that would hold for the remainder of the game.

Zach Diver (Doane), Austin Steeves (Stanford) and Dylan Dickert (Montevallo) each pitched well out of the bullpen, with the trio combining for 4.2 excellent relief innings only giving up two hits amongst them.

Game 2 did not go as planned for the hosts as Minot scored early and often to win comfortably. The Hot Tots scored two in the first inning off starting pitcher Otto Franz (Concordia) and continued to add on throughout the game, with a five-run sixth inning blowing the game open in the visitors’ favor.

McGwire Turner (Montevallo) hit a solo home run in the second inning to cut the Minot lead in half 2-1, but the Hot Tots quickly responded with two more runs in the third to go ahead 4-1. The Express responded once again with a run in the bottom of the frame on a sacrifice fly from Sam Erickson (Texas A&M) that made it 4-2, but ultimately the big sixth inning for Minot did Eau Claire in.

Alonso and Quinton Coats (Cincinnati) added an RBI each in the sixth and eighth innings respectively and both Adam Salazar (Cal State Bakersfield) and JJ Moran (Stanford) plated runs in the ninth, but it was too little too late for the Express as Minot held on to win 11-6. Kale Hopke (Miami (OH)) was the bright spot on the mound for Eau Claire as he went 1.1 innings without giving up a hit and striking out three in the eighth and ninth frames.

The Express head to Rochester each of the next two days for a pair of road games against the Honkers before finishing the pre-All Star break schedule with two games in Thunder Bay over the weekend.

Game 1 Box Score

Game 2 Box Score  

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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.