La Crosse, Wis. – Falling offensively, the Trains were handed a 6-3 defeat by the La Crosse Loggers, marking the end of a three-game win streak.
Eau Claire Express Postgame Recap:
In the first three innings, both teams focused heavily on defense and relied on their pitchers. For the Express, Jesse Neretlis threw 50 pitches, allowing no runs and achieving five strikeouts during this period.
On the mound for the Loggers, Sahil Patel dished out six strikeouts, preventing zero runs and allowing only one Express player to get on base with a walk, throughout the first three innings and threw 43 pitches.
The Express finished the scoring drought in the fourth inning, securing the first earned run of the night with bases empty and Jaxon Schumacher hitting a home run near center field, marking his second home run of the season for the Trains.
Despite having a 1-0 lead, the Trains struggled defensively, allowing three runs in the bottom of the fifth inning. The inning began with the first pitch from Neretlis, which resulted in a home run to left field by Mana Lau Kong, tying the score at 1-1.
The Loggers did not stop there, with Eli Small hitting a groundout to third base, bringing home Maxwell Kalk. Shortly after, Sebastian Hurtado hit a single to center, bringing home Kelsen Johnson to take the lead at 3-1.
Going two more innings without a single run scored for either team, the Trains started their comeback in the top of the eighth inning with Nolan Stoll crossing home plate following a Cade Palkowski single to left field to create a 3-2 deficit.
Despite the one earned run in the top of the eighth, the Trains were unable to continue their drive, ending the night with two runs. On the other side of the Diamonds, Lukas Buckner hit a triple near center field, bringing home three players to secure the lead of 6-2.
Having one more chance at the top of the ninth inning, the Trains were unable to capitalize on their chances, leaving Anthony Martinez stranded on base after hitting a double to center field.
The Express will have another chance back at home against the Loggers at 2:05 p.m. Sunday.
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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.
