June 19, 2016
St. Cloud, Minn. – The St. Cloud Rox won their fifth straight game on Saturday, in a nearly four hour game that featured 27 runs and 29 hits. The Rox (12-6) topped the Duluth Huskies (9-10) by a final score of 15-12.
The game was offensively packed all night, as the Rox only had one offensive inning in which they failed to score. The Huskies were kept off the scoreboard in only four innings.
The Huskies scored the first run just three batters into the game. St. Cloud answered in the bottom of the first by pushing four across, highlighted by a two-run single from Mason Mamarella (Kent State). The Rox drew four walks in the opening frame, contributing to a game total of 13 free passes given by the Duluth pitchers.
The St. Cloud offense would strike again in the second getting two more runs. The Huskies would answer in the third, tagging the Rox pitchers for seven runs and taking their second lead of the game.
In the bottom half of the third Ben Petersen (North Dakota State) hit his third home run of the season and picked up his 11th RBI of the year. Doubles by Denis Karas (Cal Berkeley) and Brandon Benson (Georgia College and State University) would give the Rox two more runs in the fourth inning, pulling them within one run of the Huskies.
The game was blown open in the fifth, as the Rox put a crooked number on the board scoring five in the inning. The Rox had three hits and three walks in the inning, as well as two sacrifice flies, giving them a lead, which they would not relinquish.
Mamarella picked up another RBI in the sixth inning, hitting a single to bring home Drew Freedman (Wake Forest). Ricky Ramirez (McNeese State) picked up his team-leading 14th RBI of the season in the seventh inning, which would wind up being the last run scored in the game.
Trevor Charpie (Nevada) came on in relief in the seventh, making his season debut. He allowed a run in his first inning, but settled in nicely, not allowing a run in his final two innings and striking out the side in the ninth to seal the victory and pick up the save for St. Cloud.
Every member of the Rox lineup reached base at least two times in the win. Seven players recorded an RBI and five had multiple RBI.
The Rox have now topped the Huskies in four of their five meetings this season, and they have scored over 10 runs in three of those wins.
At the time the game ended the Rox were half a game behind Waterloo for the division lead, with the Bucks still playing in a game. With a Waterloo loss the Rox would move into a tie for first in the division.
Tonight’s game one St. Cloud Times Player of the Game was Mason Mamarella who put up an impressive offensive performance. For more coverage of the Rox during the 2016 season visit www.sctimes.com.
For more stats and information about the game, here is the boxscore.
Single game tickets can be purchased 24 hours a day at www.stcloudrox.com, by calling (320) 240-9798 or by visiting the Rox ticket office located at the Municipal Athletic Complex.
The St. Cloud Rox are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Playing its 23rd season of summer collegiate baseball, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 18 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, more than 150 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (CWS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET), Curtis Granderson (NYM), Lucas Duda (NYM) and Ben Zobrist (CHC). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. For more information, visit www.stcloudrox.com
