Express Season Ends In Heart Breaking Loss To Wilmont 
(Wilmont) – The Tracy Express suffered a heartbreaking loss on Friday night in the second round of the Gopher League playoffs, falling 10-9 to Wilmont in the bottom of the 9th inning, to end the Express season. The Express got the offense going early on, as they piled on four runs in the top of the first inning. After Troy Kepler led the game off with a base hit, Eric Hendrickx reached on a fielder’s choice, then Robbie Slinkman, Bryan Francis, Andy Lanoue, and Dane Jensen then followed with four consecutive Express hits, and Tracy was up 4-0, quickly in the first inning.
After Wilmont cut the score to 4-2, the Express erupted again in the fourth, Brady Webb led the inning off with an infield hit, then two outs later, Hendrickx walked, and Slinkman followed with a three run home run, pushing the Express lead to five at 7-2.
Normally, that would have been enough for Hendrickx who started on the mound for the Express, but six Express defensive errors, hurt the effort, and Hendrickx was knocked from the game in the fourth inning, and the Express found themselves down 9-7. Luke Walling stepped in though and kept Wilmont off the scoreboard the next four innings, and that gave the Express bats a chance though to battle back.
In the seventh, Slinkman reached on an error to start the inning, and Bryan Francis was hit by a pitch. Dane Jensen and Aaron Walling then came up big, each driving singles to the outfield, and the game was tied at 9.
It stayed that way until the bottom of the 9th inning, Jay Scheidt started the Wilmont 9th with a single, Scheidt then stole second base, and Wilmont bunted him to third with Adam Dieckman. On third base with one out, the Express decided to walk the bases loaded, to set up the force. That brought Wilmont’s Josh Wasmund to the plate, Walling fell behind 3-0 to Wasmund with the bases loaded and the winning run on third base, but he battled back, to force him to pop up to third, for the second out. Walling then set to face Joe Ahrends, and after getting ahead of Ahrends 0-2, Scheidt took home to win the game when Slinkman’s throw back to Walling went over his head.
The loss ended the season for the Express who went 0-2 in the playoffs.
Tracy 400 300 200 - 9 - 12 - 6 Wilmont 101 700 001 - 10 - 12 - 3
Express AB R H RBI Troy Kepler lf-cf 4 0 1 0
Casey Polzine cf 3 0 0 0
Luke Walling p 2 0 0 0
Eric Hendrickx p-1b-3b 4 2 1 0
Robbie Slinkman c 5 3 2 3
Bryan Francis 3b-1b 4 2 1 1
Andy Lanoue ss 5 1 2 2
Dane Jensen 2b 5 0 2 2
Aaron Walling rf 4 0 1 1
Brady Webb 1b-lf 4 1 2 0
2b: Saufley 3b: none; HR: Slinkman (3) SB: (W) Scheidt; Meinders (T) Webb (3) CS: Webb (1) Pitchers IP H R ER BB K
Eric Hendrickx 3.2 9 9 4 4 2
Luke Walling (L) 5 3 1 0 3 1 |
