Willmar, MN—The Stingers fall to the Express in Game 1 of the weekend series. Willmar is now 3-2 against Eau Claire in this second-half matchup.

Chris Peres (La Verne) made the start for Willmar tonight as he pitched 5.1 innings. He allowed four runs on seven hits. Peres walked two batters and struck out five in his outing. Branden Boissiere (Arizona) got the Stingers on the board first when his sacrifice flyout scored Sam Baier (Augustana) from third. 1-0 Stingers.

Eau Claire went to their bullpen in the second inning and held the Stingers scoreless until the sixth. The Express tied the game up in the third with a solo home run to left field. Eau Claire then took the lead in the fourth when a two out double scored two runs. 3-1 Express. Bryant Claunch (North Alabama) pitched 1.2 innings in relief tonight. His ERA continues to decrease as he held the Express scoreless.

Both teams scored a run in the sixth. Kaden Fowler (Georgia) hit his second home run of the week against the Express in the inning. That brought the score to 4-2 Express. The last three innings of the game were held scoreless. Garret Herring (Southwestern Illinois) pitched the last two scoreless innings of the game for Willmar. He only allowed one hit in his outing.

The Stingers were unable to manufacture a run in the ninth inning. The fall to the Express 4-2. Game 2 of the series will be back at Bill Taunton Stadium tomorrow. First pitch 5:05pm CT!