Bismarck, ND – Trevor Koenig (St. Cloud State) earned the win on the mound while allowing just one earned run as St. Cloud (14-11) beat Bismarck (14-11) by a final score of 8-2, earning the sweep on the road.  In the victory, Rox Field Manager Augie Rodriguez moved into the top five of all-time winningest managers in Northwoods League history.

The Rox broke the scoreless tie in the top of the fourth inning when Cam Kline (Minnesota State-Mankato) scored Jordan Barth (Augustana) on a ground ball to shortstop.

Barth would score one of three runs in the top of the sixth inning as he scored on a defensive error. Landon Stephens (Miami-Ohio) would later score Hance Smith (California-Berkeley) on a sac-fly to center field. The last run came from Kline, who singled into right field and scored Brendan Tinsman (Wake Forest).

Two more runs were scored in the top of the seventh inning. Ben Carew (Kent State) scored the first run on a wild pitch, scoring from third base. The other came off the bat of Barth, who scored Gus Steiger (South Dakota State) on a ground ball to shortstop.

The final two runs of the game scored by the Rox came in the top of the eighth inning. Smith blooped a single into right field that scored Carew from second base. Steiger scored the eighth and final run of the game on a wild pitch.

Following the strong start from Koenig, Richie Holetz (Nebraska-Omaha), Justin Simanek (Southeastern Louisiana) and Blake Stelzer (Concordia-St. Paul) all saw action out of the bullpen.

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

The Rox now open a home-and-home series with the Willmar Stingers, beginning on Saturday. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. from Bill Taunton Stadium.

St. Cloud will be back at home on Sunday against the Willmar Stingers with a 4:05 p.m. first pitch time. It’s Books and Baseball Day presented by the Initiative Foundation and United Way. The first 200 families with a child five and under receive a book and will have the opportunity to read with the players on the field starting at 3:05 p.m. and concluding at 3:30 p.m. It’s also a Coborn’s Kids Day as children will have the chance to run the bases after the game and get autographs on the field from players and coaches.

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.

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