Eau Claire, WI – In game one of a new series against the Waterloo Bucks, the Express rallied behind a second inning slugfest to seal the win by a final score of 10-5.
The Waterloo Bucks got off to an early start, as Luke Finn (East Texas Baptist) sent a moonshot to left-center field that put the visitors up one run early. That would quickly disappear, as the Express batters surged for nine runs in the bottom of the second to break this game wide open. The offense began with some classic small ball, as Express batters Brady Blake (Kansas) and Dylan O’Connell (Western Kentucky) lead the inning off with RBI singles to take a 2-1 lead. Soon after, Ethan Farris (Texas State) would send yet another ball over the fence, securing his second grand slam in consecutive days. The Trains were not done, as a couple of at bats later Evan Gustafson (North Dakota State University) mashed a two-run home run to cap off a nine run explosion for Eau Claire.
Waterloo would try and crawl back into this game, eventually bringing themselves within four runs in the top of the eighth inning. It was all for nothing, as Ethan Farris (Texas State) went deep in the bottom half of the eighth for his second home run of the game, an important insurance run to seal the win for the Trains. Farris (Texas State) would later be named the Northwoods League Position Player of the Night.
The Express recieved an incredible outing from starter Ryan Speshyock (Stanford), who threw five innings, allowing only one run on four hits, and striking out a whopping nine batters, and recieving the win (3-1). Speshyock (Stanford) would later be named the Northwoods League Pitcher of the Night. Zach Evenson (Bemidji State) took the loss (0-2) for Waterloo, after only going 1.1 innings, allowing nine earned runs on six hits.
The Express look to keep the winning streak alive and sweep Waterloo tomorrow in an afternoon Matinee. First pitch is set for 2:05pm CT back at Carson Park.
https://scorebook.northwoodsleague.com/update/4552/statistics/stats/home/batting/game
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’ 31st season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in history with 26 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, 360 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 (TEX), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (STL) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (ATL). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and 2023 World Series Champion, MLB All-Star, MLB Gold Glove winner and two-time All-MLB first team shortstop Marcus Semien (TEX). League games are viewable live on Northwoods League+ (at watch.northwoodsleague.com), ESPN+, and the Northwoods League Network. Learn more and find complete streaming schedules at watchnwl.com. 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.