Eau Claire, Wis. – A rare Northwoods League rainout on June 26 forced a doubleheader between the Express and the Loggers at Carson Park, and the Trains took advantage.
Eau Claire held La Crosse scoreless throughout both seven-inning games of the twin bill, riding three great pitching performances to a pair of dominant victories. The Trains jumped out to an early lead in Game 1 that they would continue to add onto throughout the contest, while two runs in the fourth inning were enough to secure the win in Game 2.
Max Arlich (Arizona State) got the start in the first game against the in-state rivals and he did not disappoint. The Woodbury, Minn., native went the distance, throwing all seven shutout innings and allowing just four hits while striking out six and walking two. Only one baserunner reached scoring position for the Loggers as Arlich controlled the contest.
On the offensive side, the Express showed their excitement to be back at Carson Park as they plated three runs in the bottom of the first inning. Cort MacDonald (Stanford) and Dante Vachini (Cal Poly) each singled to start the game and score its first run before two more runs came across on a double steal and a La Crosse error to put the home side ahead 3-0.
JJ Moran (Stanford) added onto the lead in the third with a leadoff home run to left-center field on the second pitch of the inning. The blast was Moran’s fourth in the last seven games and extended both his hit and RBI streaks to eight games dating back to before the all-star break.
Nick Mascaro (Cal State Bakersfield) added some insurance in the fifth with a two-RBI single to put the Trains ahead by the 6-0 score that would hold until the final pitch.
Game 2 featured a quiet start as the Express went down in order in each of the first three innings and Luke Ryerse (Minnesota) worked around traffic to strand runners in each of those frames.
The hosts got on the board in the fourth inning before notching their first hit as three walks and a hit-by-pitch put Eau Claire ahead 1-0. Mascaro got the Trains in the hit column one batter later with an RBI single to double the lead.
Ryerse, also out of Woodbury, Minn., exited the contest after scattering five hits throughout 4.2 scoreless innings with five strikeouts and no walks. Austin Steeves (Stanford) entered in relief and worked 2.1 excellent innings in relief, allowing just one hit and getting the win.
The pair of wins moved the Express to 10-8 in the second half and 23-28 overall. Eau Claire and La Crosse meet again Monday evening at 6:35 p.m.
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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.
