Willmar, MN – Ryan Swanson (North Iowa Area CC) pitched five strong innings, but St. Cloud (8-9) dropped game one of the series to Willmar by a final score of 3-2. Joey Stock (St. Johns) struck out two of the four batters he faced out of the bullpen in the sixth inning.

The Rox got the scoring started in the top of the fourth inning when Jordan Barth (Augustana) drilled an RBI single to right field that scored Brady Harlan (Oklahoma) from second base to go ahead 1-0.

They tacked on another run in the top of the fifth inning when Tyler Finke (Southeastern Louisiana) hit an RBI single that scored Brendan Tinsman (Wake Forest), putting the Rox ahead 2-0.

Following the five innings Swanson pitched in the start, Stock and Blake Stelzer (Concordia-St. Paul) saw action out of the bullpen.

The Rox will take on the Stingers on Thursday with first pitch scheduled for 7:05 p.m. from Bill Taunton Stadium.

For the full box score from tonight’s game, click here.

St. Cloud returns home on Sunday against the Duluth Huskies with a 4:05 p.m. first pitch time. It’s Father’s Day at the ballpark. It’s also a Coborn’s Kids Day, where children will have the opportunity to run the bases and get autographs on the field after the game.

All single games tickets – including to the home opener – can be purchased now in person at the Rox Ticket Office located at the Municipal Athletic Complex, by calling the Rox Ticket office at 320-240-9798 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday or 24 hours a day by visiting www.stcloudrox.com.

The St. Cloud Rox are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The 25-year old summer collegiate league is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 22 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, over 200 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 (MIA).  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.

###