Ontario, Canada – In a 10-inning game, the Thunder Bay Border Cats secured a sacrifice fly to hand the Eau Claire Express a 2-1 loss on the road.
Eau Claire Express Postgame Recap:
North of the border, the Eau Claire Express ended their second away series of the season with a 2-1 loss against the Thunder Bay Border Cats Friday night.
It was a defensive battle between the two teams in Ontario, Canada, as neither team was able to put up a run for nine innings.
Express starting pitcher Jesse Neretlis started Eau Claire strong, recording five strikeouts on the mound and allowing three hits, the only Thunder Bay hits of the full nine innings. Sauk Valley Community College redshirt sophomore Jonathan Aceves was close in relief, striking out four while facing seven batters.
Thunder Bay starter Makaio Cisneros matched Neretlis, striking out six, heavily contributing to the team’s overall 15. Cisneros also benefited from strong defensive support, with his teammates showcasing their talent through a series of clean putouts.
The game went to extra innings after neither team on their respective side of the border could get an offensive run moving. Tucson, Arizona native Mikey Muniz found the most success in the field, securing a team high of 13 putouts to the team’s overall 28.
It wasn’t until Cal State Bakersfield sophomore Adam Salazar was walked at the top of the 10th inning, and Jaxon Schumacher’s turn at the plate to hit a RBI single to left field, brought Salazar home to earn the Express’s first run of the game and leading 1-0.
Now with a lead of one, the Express went to the bottom of the 10th inning in hopes of closing out the first game of the series on a win. With Express pitcher Jackson Niederwerder at the mound, Border Cat Manny Alberto hit a double to right field to bring home Jesus Vasquez to tie the game 1-1.
Border Cat Dante Smith was next in the batting order, hitting a single as Alberto advanced to third base. Next, Alex Kean was in the box, and after one called strike, Kean lifted a sacrifice fly to score Alberto and complete the comeback with a 2-1 victory.
The Express will finish their time in Ontario, Canada, as they face the Thunder Bay Border Cats at 6:35 p.m. EST (5:35 p.m. CT) Friday.
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The Eau Claire Express is 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. Having completed its 27th season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 22 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, over 250 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 (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (BOS). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and MLB Gold Glove finalist and 2019 Second Team All-MLB shortstop Marcus Semien (TOR). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. For more information, visit www.eauclaireexpress.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or Google Play and set the Booyah as your favorite team.
