A long-awaited day in Minot Hot Tots history took place on Sunday afternoon: the first Hot Tot victory over the St. Cloud Rox in over a year. Minot got it done with two huge innings on offense and a sustained brilliant pitching performance to win 11-2.

The game began with a first-inning scoring play for St. Cloud. Joshua Dykhoff picked up his eighth hit of the four-game series and an RBI as well. The Rox started ahead 1-0 and got three solid innings out of starter Marcus Kruzan to hold the lead.

Kruzan would run into trouble in the fourth inning though. A single and walk put runners on base for Christian Stratis with no outs. Stratis hit a Kruzan pitch on a frozen rope to left field, reaching second base on a double and tying the game as Matt Toomey crossed home. It would be the first of six runs for the Tots in the fourth inning. Kruzan allowed one more RBI single and was pulled.

Alex Dupuy was brought in to cool down the Hot Tots, but the opposite happened. Anthony Temesvary, TJ Stottlemyre, Jacob Pearl and Henry Allen were all able to reach base with one out being recorded. The score was now 6-1 Minot and Dupuy was taken out. Ryan Beaird got the Rox out of the inning, but St. Cloud had a hill to climb down by five runs.

Trent Harris kept making that hill steeper. The Hot Tots starter allowed only one run over a five-inning outing, putting himself in line for the win. While the Rox were unable to add any more scoring, the same was happening for Minot. It became a battle of the bullpens and with the hefty run support, the Hot Tots were winning it.

Kevin Schoneboom replaced Harris and threw three innings of relief, striking out four and conceding one run. The one run that got across against Schoneboom was quickly answered by five more from the Minot bats. A big eighth inning for the Hot Tots was started by three hits, kept alive by three walks and finished by another RBI hit by Stratis as well as a base-loaded walk to Will Smoot. The Tots took a nine-run lead into the ninth.

Pavlos Piperakis had no issues with the Rox lineup, retiring all three batters faced in his one inning of work. Shortstop Bryson Webb made a leaping catch in foul territory, securing the Hot Tots sixth win of the season, 11-2 over the St. Cloud Rox.

Minot goes on the road tomorrow to begin a four-game series with the Mankato MoonDogs. They will travel with a big weight off of their shoulders having snapped a 17-game losing streak to the Rox.

Jacob Pearl was the game’s SportClips MVP contributing four hits, a season-best for any Hot Tot, and three runs batted in. Kevin Schoneboom lit up the radar gun to 91 mph for the SRT Fastest Pitch. Christian Stratis began the game with a sliding catch in foul territory worthy of the First Command Play of the Game. Minot drew four Buffalo Wild Wings Walks on their way to a Sky Dancer Casino Big Win.