Eau Claire, Wis. – The Express just didn’t have it in the opener of the final series of the 2025 season.
Waterloo posted four runs in the first inning and continued to add on throughout the night, cruising to a 9-1 victory over Eau Claire.
Starting pitcher Joey Koch (Century CC) struggled out of the gate for the Express as the Bucks knocked him out of the game after just two outs. They tagged him for four runs on five hits and two walks before he exited the game and Zach Diver (Doane) entered in relief to record the final out of the top of the first.
Diver pitched well out of the bullpen, throwing 4.1 innings and giving up just one run on four hits while striking out three. His lone run surrendered came in the third inning as Michael Iliff singled in Jimmy Nugent who had tripled after blasting a three-run home run in the first inning.
The Eau Claire coaching staff turned to Lorenzo Atwell (Walters State CC) for the sixth inning, but he was unable to record an out before exiting the game. A double, two walks and a hit-by-pitch forced Kenneth Fistler (Alma) into the game out of the bullpen with the bases after Waterloo had already scored one. Two more walks after Fistler entered pushed two more runs across the plate to make it 8-0.
Fistler began the seventh inning on the mound but exited with two outs after Cole Smith’s RBI single to drive in Larry Edwards and make it a 9-0 game. Jake Busson (Illinois–Chicago) moved from shortstop to the mound and pitched well, closing out the final seven outs for the Express without allowing a hit.
The lone run of the game for Eau Claire came in the bottom of the seventh as Cort MacDonald (Stanford) tripled down the right-field line for his second extra-base hit of the day before scoring on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Sam Erickson (Texas A&M) to bring it to the final score of 9-1.
The season finale is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. Saturday evening between the Express and the Bucks once again. All-star Walker Retz (St. Thomas) will get the start on the mound.
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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. Entering its’ 32nd season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in history with 24 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, nearly 2400 NWL alums have been drafted and over 380 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 (TOR), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford 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, two-time Silver Slugger 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.
