It was a weekend of extreme highs — and no, that’s not a reference to the humid temperatures outside — and disappointing lows for the Eau Claire Express.
What started with a strong victory on the road in Duluth Friday night ended with a dominating 12-4 defeat for the Express at the hands of Waterloo early Sunday evening as Eau Claire ended the weekend 2-2 as they prepare to wrap up their five-game, two-state road trip in Iowa Monday night.
Just like the weekend started on a high note for the Express with a 10-9 come-from-behind win over Duluth Friday evening, Sunday started with great promise for Eau Claire as they were on the winning side of a 18-3 shellacking of Waterloo in the first of a doubleheader against the Bucks. Those wins were sandwiched in between a 4-1 loss to the Huskies Saturday night in Minnesota and that 12-4 loss over Waterloo in the night cap of Sunday’s double header in Iowa.
Sunday’s first game started off with a 3-0 Waterloo lead entering the third inning. That’s when the Express bats fired up and Eau Claire never looked back.
Eddie Peters got the Express runapalooza started and was followed by earned runs from Dylan Knowles (off a Gabe Richardson walk) Brigs Richartz (off an Evan Gustafson walk), Brady Reynolds, Richardson and Gustafson. Brady Blake and Colton Wemhoff finished the third-inning massacre for the good guys.
The Express’ defensive play stifled the Bucks from the second inning on and Eau Claire’s offense finished out the rest of the seven-inning game with multiple runs each stanza.
Three runs in the fourth inning from the Express — including an Ethan Farris score on a Evan Gustafson homer — and an additional run from Wemhoff on a Peters double to left field- added to the Eau Claire lead.
The Express scored two runs in each the fifth, sixth and seventh capped off the victory for the visitors. Richartz, Reynolds and Wemhoff all had three runs in that first game, while Peters, Gustafson and Knowkes had two runs apiece. Daniel Reischl got the win on the mound for Eau Claire, who outhit Waterloo, 11-3, in the dominating victory.
In the second game late Sunday afternoon, it was 12-0, Waterloo, before the Express even got on the scoreboard in the top of the fifth inning with runs from Peters, Reggie Bussey, Richartz and Davis Rivers.
But that was all the Express could muster up in the second game. Ethan Thomas was credited with the loss on the mound for Eau Claire in the game.
Sunday’s second game was a quite different ending from how the weekend started for the Express.
In Friday’s Express win, which halted a week-long string of defeats by the local team, Eau Claire was down 9-2 entering the eighth inning, but two runs in the top of that stanza — from Colton Wemhoff and Brigs Richartz — gave them a fighting chance entering the top of the ninth.
And that’s when the Express exploded to get the win over the Huskies.
Ragan Pinnow got the first of Eau Claire’s six runs off a Brady Blake single near to right field. Eddie Peters advanced to third on that Blake hit, setting him up nicely to get to home on a Richartz double to center field, which also got Wemhoff and Blake home safely, too.
Two more runs — from Richartz on a Brady Reynolds triple to center field — and later a Reynolds earned run ended the scoring and sealed the deal for the Express.
The teams both had nine hits in the game, while the Express committed three errors and the Huskies two. Miguel Villafane got the win for Eau Claire.
In Saturday’s loss to the Huskies, the lone Express run was scored by Jake Busson in the bottom of the seventh. Besides the dominating Duluth score in the game, the hits were relatively even in the contest, with the Huskies winning that stat, 9-7. Zach Diver was credited with the loss for the Express.
Following the weekend’s roller-coaster of play, the Express stand at 4-7 in the second half of the NBL season and 19-27 overall.
The Express finish up their three-game road series with the Bucks Monday evening. First pitch at Riverfront Stadium in Waterloo is set for 6:35 p.m. Those same Bucks then travel to Eau Claire Tuesday to battle the Express at Carson Park. Game time is scheduled for 6:35 p.m.
Northwoods League Announces 2024 All-Star Selections
Wausau and Rockford have the most selections for the July 23 game
ROCHESTER, MINNEOSTA — Outfielder Richartz was the lone Express player chosen when the Northwoods League announced the rosters for the 2024 All-Star Game, which will be played on July 23 at 7:05 p.m. at ISG Field in Mankato, Minnesota.
According to a media release from the Northwoods Baseball League, in the Great Plains Division, the first-half Great Plains West champion Willmar Stingers have five players on the roster. Willmar is led by Andrew Sojka (California State University, Northridge). Sojka is the all-time home run leader in the Northwoods League with 31. He is currently hitting .395 with 17 home runs, 53 RBI, and 60 runs scored over 42 games. The St. Cloud Rox also have five selections in the Plains. On the mound from the Rox will be Kaden Pfeffer (St. Cloud State University) who is currently 3-1 with a 2.21 ERA across 40.2 innings.
In the Great Lakes Division, the first-half Great Lakes East Champion Rockford Rivets and the first-half Great Lakes West Champion Wausau Woodchucks each have six selections.
The All-Stars from the Woodchucks are powered by infielder Isaac Webb (Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi). Webb is hitting .390 with three home runs, six doubles, 21 RBI and 28 stolen bases. Rivets infielder Maddox Mihalakis highlights the talented group from Rockford. Mihalakis is currently hitting .393 with five home runs, 11 doubles and four triples. He has 43 RBI and six stolen bases.
Field Manager Corey Thompson and his coaching staff from the Wausau Woodchucks will be in the dugout for the Great Lakes. Willmar Field Manager Freddie Smith and his staff will manage the Great Plains All-Stars.
This year’s All-Stars were chosen in a vote by the 26 member teams of the Northwoods League. Ballots were cast by each team’s field staff and media contacts.
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