Willmar, MN – What started out as a hot muggy night in Willmar ended in a cool crisp victory for the visiting Eau Claire Express, as they pick up their first win of the season this Thursday with a final score of 11-7.
Spencer Wright (MSU Mankato) got the start on the bump for the Express and looked sharp through 5 innings, where he pitched four 1-2-3 innings in total. He was helped out by solid defense behind him, as Eau Claire only had one error through 9 innings of play.
The main story of the night though was Eau Claire’s bats. They opened the game with 2 runs in the first, thanks to some singles from Barry Eiseman (Montevallo) and Reed Latimer (Montevallo).
All of this was a precursor to their big 4th inning, where they broke the game open, scoring 7 runs. Grant Gilooly kicked things off with a single, followed by a Kaden Galason (Belmont) single. Then the pair used their legs to score on costly errors and Wild Pitches by the Willmar hurler. With men on base, Tanner Marsh (St. Thomas) stepped up to the plate and smacked a 2-RBI single to left field. Eiseman joined him on the basepath with a single of his own, and then Ryan Nagelbach (UIC) came to the plate…
Nagelbach proved his spot in the lineup, blasting a towering 3-run homer over the rightfield wall, bringing his teammates around the bases, and back to the dugout.
The following inning also proved productive for Express hitters as they were able to get baserunners on walks and capitalize by singling them home.
Willmar would not go down quietly though, as they finally started to figure Wright out in the bottom of the 6th inning. The Stingers combined to pour on 7 runs of their own, bringing them close to a comeback.
Unfortunately for them, they were not quite close enough, as the team ended the night on a strikeout in the 9th, delivering the Express a well-deserved. win.
The Express are coming back to Eau Claire for the weekend, with the first of a four-game homestand beginning on Friday at 7:05 p.m. CST. We hope to see you at Carson Park for free Magnet Schedules, and a postgame Fireworks show after Friday Night’s game!
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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. Now in its’ 29th 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, 300 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 (NYM), 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 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and 2021 All-Star, MLB Gold Glove winner and 2019 Second Team All-MLB shortstop Marcus Semien (TEX). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. League games are viewable live at watchnwl.com and on ESPN+. 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.
