Wausau, Wis. – A fourth-inning struggle brings in five runs for the Wausau Woodchucks, ending the Eau Claire Express ‘ six-game win streak with a 5-4 loss Friday evening.
Despite the 5-4 loss, the Express continues to lead the Great Plains East Division with a 16-5 second-half record.
Starting on the right foot, the Trains earned the first run of the night with Anthony Martinez crossing home after a Sawyer Stein advanced to first base, but a fielder’s choice brought home Martinez and marked the second out of the second inning.
The second earned run of the night was Martinez again, who crossed home on a Jake Busson groundout, securing a 2-0 lead.
Heading into the bottom of the fourth, the Woodchucks secured their first run from Jackson Petsche hitting a double to left field, bringing home Lane Walton. Soon after, Pestche ran home after a single hit to center field.
Now tied 2-2, the Woodchucks take a lead with Holden Groebl hitting a three-run home run to close out the inning, taking a lead of 5-2.
The Trains attempted to fight back with Philip Cheong crossing home plate after Cade Palkowski hit a single to right field. Followed by Palkowski running home after stealing second, then advancing to third, then home after an error of the Woodchucks catcher.
Despite shortening the deficit, the Express did not secure any more runs for the following four innings to close out the game in a 5-4 loss.
From the mound, Sawyer Hoffman started strong for the Express, pitching in four innings and delivering six strikeouts. Sam Malone came in as a substitute, pitching for three innings and allowing only one hit. Closing the game was Brock Adamson, who dished out two strikeouts to end the game.
At bat, Martinez led the Trains, securing a team high of three hits and two runs. Alongside securing one RBI, he heavily contributed to the team’s four runs on eight hits and zero errors.
The Express will look to hit back against the Woodchucks at 5:05 p.m. Saturday in Athletic Park.
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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.
