Eau Claire, Wis. – Eau Claire’s struggles against Waterloo continued Tuesday evening at Carson Park as they dropped to 1-6 this season against their division rivals from Iowa.
Hunter Guenther (Winona State) started on the mound for the Express and looked good early, striking out seven through 3.1 scoreless innings before running into trouble with one out in the fourth. The Bucks rattled off four consecutive hits to score three runs before Guenther escaped the frame, with the rally ultimately serving as the only scoring in the contest.
Cole Smith singled to start the run for Waterloo before Jimmy Nugent’s double put two runners in scoring position. Caleb Parker worked a single that scored one and moved Nugent to third, allowing him to scamper home on a double steal shortly after. Michael Barham capped off the scoring with an RBI double to trade places with Parker and make it a 3-0 game.
The first two batters of the contest reached for the Express as Alex Hendrickson (St. Thomas) walked and Cort MacDonald (Stanford) singled, the only time until the ninth inning that Eau Claire would put two runners on base. However, three consecutive outs ended the threat quickly for Waterloo. MacDonald was the star at the plate for the Trains as he registered each of their first three hits of the game in a 3-for-4 performance.
Riley Fuller pitched eight shutout innings for the Bucks, allowing just three hits and walking two batters while also striking out two. He picked up the win while Brandon Rice threw a scoreless ninth inning to get the save.
After Guenther was forced out of the game after the fourth inning due to pitch count limits, Payton Barton (Illinois–Chicago) entered in relief. He worked an excellent four innings to keep Eau Claire within striking distance. The one hit allowed by Barton was the Bucks’ only baserunner from the fifth through the eighth inning.
Bridger Hamilton (Walters State CC) worked a flawless ninth for the Express to give the offense one more opportunity, but the hosts grounded into a double play to end the game after putting a pair of baserunners on board.
The loss drops Eau Claire to 14-13 in the second half, tied with Waterloo for second in the Great Plains East Division. Both teams sit 4.5 games behind Duluth, who fell to Thunder Bay Tuesday evening.
The series finale is scheduled for Wednesday night at 6:35 p.m. at Carson Park. Austin Mattingly (Missouri Southern State) will get the start on the mound for the Express.
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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.
