Mankato, MN – St. Cloud had a breakout performance at the plate Thursday evening with 12 combined hits in their 5-4 win over Mankato. Ricardo Sanchez (Arkansas at Pine-Bluff) blasted three doubles, earning him Northwoods League Player of the Night honors. He tied a Rox record for three doubles in a game and is the first St. Cloud player to do so since Michael Strem did it in 2015. Kenny Saenz (BYU) had a terrific outing in his season debut, tossing four innings and striking out seven batters. His curveball was effective in his start.

The Rox put two runs on the board in the top of the first inning as Ryan Lillard (Arizona State) drove in two runs. He now has at least one RBI in the first three games of the season. However, Mankato responded in the home half of the first inning putting up three runs.

St. Cloud trailed 3-2 until the top of the fourth inning when Ricrado Sanchez  drove in two runs on a double to reclaim the lead. They went up 4-3 and the score wouldn’t change until the ninth inning.

Looking to add insurance runs, the Rox tacked on a run in the away half of the ninth inning as Sergio Esparza (Arkansas at Pine-Bluff) hit a ground rule double that one hopped the wall in centerfield. That put St. Cloud up 5-3, needing three more outs to secure the victory.

Despite giving up a solo homerun, Sean Hupp (USC Upstate) closed out the game and picked up the save for the Rox. It’s their first win of the season and the team improves to 1-2.

Tomorrow is the home opener for the defending Northwoods League champions. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 at the Rock Pile.

The Rox will play their 7th season of Northwoods League Baseball in 2018. The home opener at Joe Faber Field is scheduled for Friday, June 1 at 7:05 p.m. against the Mankato MoonDogs. The home opener, presented by Coborn’s, will feature post-game fireworks. Season tickets and single game tickets for the 2018 season are currently on sale. For more information regarding this release or to purchase tickets, please contact the Rox front office at (320) 240-9798 or visit www.stcloudrox.com.

The St. Cloud Rox are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. Now in its 25th anniversary season, the Northwoods 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, more than 190 former Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time Cy Young Award winner Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist (CHC) and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and MLB All-Stars Chris Sale (BOS), Jordan Zimmermann (DET) and Curtis Granderson (TOR).  All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. For more information, visit www.greenbaybullfrogs.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Bullfrogs as your favorite team.

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