Eau Claire, Wis. – For the second consecutive game at Carson Park, the Express walked off their rivals. This time it was a McGwire Turner three-run blast that put Eau Claire over the Loggers for a fourth-straight win in the season series.
A 6-3 deficit slowly disappeared for the Express as a run in the sixth and another in the seventh brought the hosts within one. The Eau Claire bullpen held La Crosse quiet through the final three innings, allowing the Express lineup one more chance to come from behind. Two batters reached in the bottom of the ninth, bringing Turner (Montevallo) to the plate trailing by a run. The second baseman hit a 1-1 pitch where it was pitched, shooting an outside pitch to the opposite field and over the short porch wall in right field for a three-run walk-off home run.
Both teams got on the board early as Eau Claire responded to a Loggers leadoff home run with a pair of runs in the bottom of the first to take the lead. JJ Moran (Stanford) tripled to right-center field to drive in Marcelino Alonso (Indiana State) and tie the game at 1-1 before coming home on an RBI single from Dante Vachini (Cal Poly).
La Crosse tied the game right back up with a run-scoring single in the top of the second inning from Justin Roulston that made it 2-2, a score that would hold until the bottom of the third.
Moran notched another RBI hit in the bottom of the third as he singled up the middle to score Alonso once again. The run put the Express ahead 3-2 and was the final run scored by the hosts until they began their comeback.
Starting pitcher Walker Retz (St. Thomas) settled in after getting hit hard early to post zeros in the third, fourth and fifth innings, but the Loggers got to him in the sixth. Three consecutive batters singled after a quick out to start the inning, prompting manager Dale Varsho to turn to the bullpen and Luke Ryerse (Minnesota). The Woodbury, Minn., native allowed both inherited runners to score along with one more before eventually getting out of the inning, giving La Crosse the 6-3 advantage.
The Eau Claire runs in the sixth and seventh innings came on just one combined hit through the two frames as both runs scored on sacrifice flies after a plethora of walks and wild pitches.
Ryerse pitched a clean seventh before Lorenzo Atwell (Walters State CC) took over with a scoreless eighth. A pair of walks to start the ninth forced Atwell out of the game, but Kenneth Fistler (Alma) entered and escaped the jam to keep the Express within a run.
Both teams head to La Crosse tomorrow for a pair of seven-inning games due to a rainout earlier in the season. The Express return home Tuesday to open a two-game series against Waterloo.
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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.
