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Northwoods Eau Claire Express

Eau Claire Express Week 1 Recap

June 4, 2024 - Northwoods League (Northwoods)
Eau Claire Express News Release


It was an exciting opening week for the Eau Claire Express, who began their 2024 campaign with a.500 record. These games have been entertaining to say the least, with home runs, diving catches, comebacks, and a walkoff at Carson Park. Let's take a look at week 1!

To start their season off, the Express began with a home and away series against the Madison Mallards, which they split 1-1. Express won a game 1 thriller, squeaking out a 5-3 win. However, they dropped game 2 in an offensive showdown at Madison, with a final score of 18-10.

From there, Eau Claire stayed on the road to open their second home and home series of the season against the Rochester Honkers. Game 1 was a nail-biter to the end, and it was a Gabe Richardson three-run home run that sealed a 4-3 victory. However, the Express could not complete the sweep, as they were defeated 8-5 in game 2.

The Trains got back on track at home, where they completed their first season sweep of 2024 against the Badlands Big Sticks. Game 1 had a flare for the dramatic, going into extra innings, where Jake Busson would be hit by a pitch to walk it off, 16-15. Game 2 was won thanks to an RBI single in the bottom of the eighth by George Bilecki. The game would finish with a final score of 5-4.

Eau Claire followed the home sweep by dropping 2 in a row on the road in Thunder Bay. Although both games were close, the Trains weren't able to grab a win, losing 5-4 in game 1 and 2-1 in game 2. The Express finished their first week of play at 4-4, and currently sit in fourth in the Great Plains East division.

The Express offense has gotten off to a hot start, averaging 6.25 runs scored per game. Dylan O'Connell has been the conductor of it all, starting with a.345 batting average, 10 hits and 6 RBI's in 29 plate appearances. Luke Wiltrakis and Andrew Ball lead the pitching staff in strikeouts (12) while Henry Wilkinson leads all Express pitchers with a 1.50 ERA after 1 week of play.

Upcoing this week, the Express begin with a home and home series against the Rochester Honkers, followed by a 4 game homestand against the Willmar Stingers and the Waterloo Bucks.

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