La Crosse, Wis. – Dominating in all positions, the Express secured a 17-5 victory over the La Crosse Loggers to tie the series 2-2 Monday night.
Eau Claire Express Postgame Recap:
Following the announcement of six Eau Claire players making the All-Star roster, the Trains played with a new set of confidence on the diamonds, getting their bats moving and putting together a total of 19 hits throughout the nine innings in La Crosse.
The Loggers started the night putting up the first runs in the bottom of the first inning, with Kelsen Johnson, the first La Crosse batter, walking, followed by Eli Small, who hit a home run to center field to bring the score to 2-0.
Despite the unfortunate start for the Trains, starting pitcher Mason Kinchen was able to close out the inning, dishing out two strikeouts for the first two outs, followed by a groundout.
The Trains got themselves moving in the top of the second, where they put together four hits and took the lead of 3-2 with Mikey Muniz hitting a single to right field, bringing home Anthony Martinez to start the momentum. Quickly, followed by Cade Palkowski hitting a single to left field to bring home Sawyer Stein and Muniz for a 3-2 lead.
La Crosse took back the lead in the bottom of the second with two more runs, with Johnson hitting a double to center field, bringing home Joey Senstock, who had stolen second prior. Johnson was able to make his way home as well after Sebastian Hurtado hit a single to right field for a 4-3 lead.
Taking note of the one-run deficit, the Trains full steamed ahead with Matthew Maulik hitting a home run to right field, bringing home himself and Martinez. At the top of the fourth, Palkowski hit a double to right field, bringing home Sean Cody, followed by Palkowski crossing home plate after Hollon Brock hit a single to center field.
To close out the third inning, Jake Busson hit a sacrifice fly to bring home CJ Varsho, securing an 8-4 lead in the three-run, three-hit inning.
Taking a fifth-inning break, the Trains got back on the rails with Busson hitting a home run near left field, to bring home two players on base and himself.
A seventh inning was nothing short of powerful, with Martinez hitting a single to second base to bring home Nolan Stoll, followed by a Busson single bringing home Palkowski and Cody. To top it off, Maulik hit a double to second base to bring home two more runs, closing out a five-hit, five-run inning for a 16-4 lead.
Eau Claire finished its night with one more run in the top of the eighth inning, with Palkowski hitting another single to second base, finishing his night going 3-4 and securing four RBIs, while bringing home Cody for a final total of 17 runs.
The Loggers were able to secure one more run in the ninth inning, but it was ultimately not enough as the Express dominated in all areas of the field.
Keeping La Crosse silenced for six innings was Jackson Niederwerder from the mound, dishing out four strikeouts in his three innings pitched. Alongside a strong outfield that was able to secure a total of 27 putouts and zero errors throughout the game.
Closing out the series with La Crosse 2-2, the Trains will travel back to Carson Park to take on the Waterloo Bucks at 6:35 p.m. Tuesday.
##
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.
