WILLMAR, Minn. — The Stingers and Eau Claire Express had not played a one-run game in the first five games of the season series this year, that was until Wednesday night at Bill Taunton Stadium. 

In a back-and-forth affair, the Express (35-19, 10-8 second half) scored twice in the top of the seventh inning and managed to hold on for a 5-4 win over the Stingers (29-25, 11-7) to earn a series split. 

Danny Mayer (Pacific) was a one-man wrecking crew at the plate for the Stingers, going 2-for-4 with three RBIs in the game. He gave Willmar a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning when he pounded a double to the wall in center field, driving home both Greg Lambert (Southern Illinois) and Justin Toerner (Cal State Northridge). 

The Express scored a single run in the third and added a pair in the fifth to take a 3-2, but the Stingers didn't go away. 

Willmar tied the game right back up in the sixth inning on an RBI single by Mayer that plated Lambert again. 

Eau Claire had a response of its own and tallied a pair of runs in the seventh to take the lead for good. 

Willmar would still not go away and got one of the two runs back in the bottom of the eighth thanks to some small ball. Toerner singled with one out and eventually came around to score without the use of another base hit. Mayer walked after Toerner, Eddie Estrada (Minnesota) reached on an error, and Luke Becker (Kentucky) plated Toerner with a sacrifice fly. 

The Stingers then put the tying run on base in the ninth inning, but Danny Pardo was left stranded on first to end the game. 

Tonight’s Center for Diagnostic Imaging player of the game was Danny Mayer. CDI is your local medical imaging provider. It’s your choice where you go for medical imaging, for MRI, CT, mammograms and pain injections, choose CDI. Visit online at myCDI.com/CentralMN.

After six straight games at home, the Stingers head on the road for two games in Waterloo on Thursday and Friday. Willmar returns home on Saturday and Sunday. 

The 2016 Stingers season is presented by Marcus Construction. For more coverage of the Stingers visit the West Central Tribune online at www.wctrib.com.