St. Cloud, Minn. – A sellout crowd of 2,269 fans at Joe Faber Field on Sunday were treated to a thriller of a game between North Division leaders as the St. Cloud Rox (19-11, 43-22) fell to the Mankato MoonDogs (20-10, 42-23) by a final score of 3-2. The Rox once again managed to outhit the MoonDogs, but were unable to come away with the victory.

The Rox still hold the best record in the North Division overall, but now sit a game back of Mankato in the second half standings. While the Rox have already clinched a playoff spot, they would need to win the second half to secure a home game in the playoffs.

Neither of the teams were able to get their bats going early. The first run of the game did not score until the fourth inning of the game.

It was the Rox who would strike first, getting two runs in the bottom of the fourth. Luke Ringhofer (South Dakota State) started the inning with a lead-off single. After Michael Strem (Boston College) bunted Ringhofer over to second, Mason Mamarella (Kent State) hit a double that allowed him to come around and score.

            Later in the fourth Brett Pope (Western Carolina) and Drew Freedman (Nova Southeastern) drew walks to load the bases, and a wild pitch let Mamarella come home to double the Rox lead.

            Carlo Graffeo (Southeastern Louisiana) turned in an excellent performance as the starting pitcher for the Rox. He lasted 5.1 innings on the mound, allowing a single earned run and striking out two batters.

            After Graffeo left the game, the Rox turned to their shutdown bullpen pitchers to keep the game close. Collin Strall was the first out of the bullpen, coming on in the sixth inning. He went 1.2 innings with a strikeout and an earned run. The run allowed by Strall tied the game at two.

Brian Glowicki (Minnesota) then came in looking to keep it tied and give the Rox a chance to win. Glowicki threw the final two innings, getting four strikeouts but allowing the game winning run to pick up the loss. It was the first run Glowicki has allowed in 19 innings this season.

The Rox now travel to Rochester for a two game series, with the Big League Dreams showcase in between. Six Rox players will participate in the showcase on Tuesday in Madison. The Rox return to the Rock Pile on Thursday, August 11 to start the final home series of the season against the Madison Mallards. It will be Turn Back the Clock Night presented by Capital One. The Rox will honor the minor league St. Cloud Rox by wearing special throwback jerseys. First 400 fans will receive a Rox Throwback Print.

Tonight’s St. Cloud Times Player of the Game was Mason Mamarella for his RBI 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 or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store and on Google Play.