Willmar, MN – Ryan Davis (Georgetown) went 4-7 at the plate, but St. Cloud (25-28) fell to Willmar in a 14-inning marathon, 6-5. The game lasted just under five hours of play. It was the longest game of the season played by the Rox and it ranks ninth in Northwoods League history in time elapsed.

The Rox showed incredible fight in the game after trailing 4-0 following the sixth inning of play. In the seventh inning, Ricardo Sanchez (Arkansas at Pine Bluff) drilled a single up the middle and scored Jack Barrie (Northwestern Ohio) from second base to give the Rox their first run of the game.

In the eighth inning, Davis doubled to the wall in center field, but the play was only just getting started. An overthrow at home plate from the outfield scored Marshall Gilbert (Mississippi State) from first base. Davis then proceeded to run to third base in the same play and was able to score after a second overthrow at the third base bag from the catcher. That put St. Cloud down just one run.

Needing at least a run to extend the game, the Rox loaded the bases with no outs in the ninth inning. A ground ball in the infield scored Barrie and tied the game at four.

Willmar left the bases loaded in the 11th inning, setting up another chance for St. Cloud at the plate. Ryan Weisenberg (Georgetown) drilled a single into left field, scoring Davis, and gave the Rox their first lead of the game. The Stingers tied the game in the bottom half of the 12th inning. They would later score in the 14th inning to win the game.

Zach Lauzon (Concordia St. Paul) started the game for the Rox and hurled 5.2 innings. John Matthews (Kent State) was sensational out of the bullpen, tossing 5.1 innings and striking out eight batters. Finn Del Bonta-Smith (San Jose State) and Erik Martinez (UC-Berkeley) each pitched one inning.

St. Cloud returns home to the Rock Pile on Sunday afternoon with a 4:05 first pitch time. It will be the final time the Rox and Stingers meet in the regular season. It is Team Poster Giveaway Night presented by Rengel Printing and Bulldog Photo. It’ll be available to the first 1,500 fans. Sunday’s game is also a Coborn’s Kids Day.

The Rox are in their seventh season of Northwoods League Baseball in 2018. Single game and group tickets for the entire season are on sale now. For more information on purchasing tickets, visit the Rox Ticket Office on the west end of the Municipal Athletic Complex, call 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.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.

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