St. Cloud, MN – After not recording a hit in the first four innings, St. Cloud (11-6) erupted for 11 runs and 12 hits in the last four frames to seal an 11-4 win over the Minnesota Mud Puppies (3-8).

The Rox have now won three in a row and nine of their last eleven to propel themselves to the top of the Great Plains West. St. Cloud is currently tied with Mankato for first in the division.

It was a tough start offensively, but the Rox finally broke through in the fifth inning with two runs. Otto Kemp (Point Loma Nazarene) and Jordan Barth (Augustana) each drove in a run to put St. Cloud on the board.

In the sixth and seventh, Caleb Ricketts (San Diego) played a big role in the Rox comeback. Ricketts started the sixth inning with a double and eventually scored to cut into the lead. Then, he drove in the go-ahead run in the seventh inning and St. Cloud would hold on from there.

The offense decided to leave no question about the outcome in the bottom of the eighth, scoring six insurance runs and putting the game away. Cody Kelly (Minnesota) finished it off with a two-RBI double into the left-center gap.

On the mound, R.J. Martinez (Minot State) went five and two-thirds innings as the starter, allowing four runs and striking out nine batters. Martinez had two separate streaks of eight and seven straight batters retired throughout his outing.

Kevin Davis (USC Upstate) came out of the bullpen and slammed the door with the six-out save. After allowing a leadoff base hit, Davis struck out the last six batters he faced to earn his third save of the season.

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

The Rox are in the midst of a six-game homestand and will complete their two-game series with the Mud Puppies on Sunday afternoon. First pitch from Joe Faber Field will be at 4:05 pm.

The St. Cloud Rox are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Having completed its’ 27^th season, the Northwoods 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 250 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time All-Star and 2016 Roberto Clemente Award winner Curtis Granderson, three-time Cy Young Award winner and World Series Champion Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (BOS). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and MLB Gold Glove finalist and 2019 Second Team All-MLB shortstop Marcus Semien (TOR). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. 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.