St. Cloud, MN — Time and time again, the Rox have answered the call with the pressure on. In the bottom of the 8th inning, they were tied 3-3 with the Huskies.

Well, not for long.

Following a lead-off single and sacrifice bunt they had a runner in scoring position. Michael Busch (North Carolina) stepped up and put a ball through the infield to bring in the game-winning run. Not long after that, his teammate in Chapel Hill Brendan Illies delivered the knockout punch with an emphatic two-run home run. The Rox took a 6-3 lead into the 9th and closed out the Huskies in the final game of the season series. 

St. Cloud won again thanks to making plays late, but it was early on in this game where it started off strong. It took the lead in the 4th thanks to another bomb. Keaton Kringlen (BYU) smacked his second of the season to get the Rox on top 2-0 in the 4th inning. In the next frame, Cameron Eden (Cal) led-off with a solo shot himself, which was also his second this summer.

Duluth tied the game in the top of the 8th, and that's when St. Cloud turned to its closer Brent Killam (Georgetown). The freshman came in, and did what he normally does. Although the tying run came with him on the mound, he kept the go-ahead run at 2nd base to end the 8th. He earned his 4th win of the year thanks to the clutch plays late, and shutting down the Huskies in the 9th.

Killam came in not having allowed a hit since July 1st. Today was also the first time he had allowed multiple hits since June 16th. It speaks volumes to what he has done all year which is shut his opponent out. Despite a couple hits from Duluth, the lefty didn't allow a run, lowering his ERA to 0.47.

Robbie Palkert (Nebraska) was sensational in another start. In 5 innings, he only allowed two hits that turned out to be back-to-back jacks in the 5th. A solo home run to lead off the inning ended an unbelievable streak the sophomore had put together. It marked the first time in 22 innings he had allowed a run and was his first since he gave up one to the Huskies on the 4th of July.

The Rox look to carry this momentum, winning four of their last five in this homestand, going on the road for the next two games. They face the Stingers tomorrow at 7:05 PM, and will be back home on Wednesday for a double-header versus the MoonDogs. Our 1st game starts at 12:05 PM where its a midweek matinee and take your co-worker to the ballpark for lunch day. The 2nd game begins at 7:05 PM, and there will be a Rox cooler bag giveaway presented by grain belt premium to the 1st 250 fans 21 and older in attendance.

Today's Box Score.

Northwoods League Standings.

Sunday's St. Cloud Times Player of the Night is Michael Busch. He drove in the game-winning run, and added another hit in the win.

The St. Cloud Rox are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The 23-year-old summer collegiate league is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 20 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, 180 former Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including two- time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champion Ben Zobrist (CHC) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET), Curtis Granderson (NYM) and Lucas Duda (NYM). 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 or on Google Play and set the Rox as your favorite team.