Eau Claire, WI – Josh Taylor threw six innings in the starting role and tallied 11 strikeouts Thursday Night as the St. Cloud Rox defeated the Eau Claire Express 5-0 at Carson Park. The teams were each held scoreless through the first five innings in their first contest after the All-Star Break until the Rox scored five times in the late innings to give them the victory.

The Rox (11-10) broke open the scoreless tie in the sixth inning when Clay Ardeeser scored off an error off the bat of Liam Bedford to make it 1-0. They then tallied three more the following inning and another in the ninth to give Taylor the victory (1-1) after his six-inning, two-hit effort which earned him Northwoods League Pitcher of the Night honors.

Tyler Peitzmeier threw the final three innings for the Rox and picked up the save (3) while striking out two batters and allowing two hits as he kept the shutout alive through the late stages of the game. Mitchell Kranson led the Rox offensively in the victory as he finished the contest 2-for-4, including a solo home run (5) to start the seventh inning and a double in the third.

Chris Paul also finished with two hits, including an RBI double in the seventh inning, his 13^th double of the season.

Tonight’s box score can be found at http://northwoods.bbstats.pointstreak.com/boxscore.html?gameid=210607.

The Rox will now finish their two-game series with the Express tomorrow night at 7:05 p.m. in Eau Claire, before returning to Joe Faber Field on Saturday, July 26^th for a two-game series with the Duluth Huskies. Saturday will be Halloween in July, presented by Party City, and the first 400 kids 14-and-under will receive a candy bag for a post-game candy drop. There will also be a best costume contest that night, plus two fans will win a brand new bike.

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.

For more coverage of the Rox, visit www.sctimes.com.