St. Cloud, MN – In a hard-fought battle that went into the tenth inning, St. Cloud (21-8) came up short in a 5-4 loss to Mankato (21-8), tying the two teams at the top of the Great Plains West.

St. Cloud led late in the game thanks to production from the top of the order. Andrew Pinckney (Alabama) in the leadoff spot led the way with two hits, including a double and an RBI that brought in the Rox’ fourth run of the game.

Jordan Barth (Augustana) also stepped up with two hits, including an RBI single to bring in Pinckney and give the Rox a 3-2 lead in the fifth inning. Barth also reached second base in the bottom of the ninth inning, representing the winning run.

Riley Cornelio (TCU) got the start on the mound for the second team this season and had six strikeouts in four and two-thirds innings pitched. Cornelio was able to limit the MoonDogs to just one earned run off of eight hits.

Out of the bullpen, Nate Peterson (Illinois at Chicago) and Noah Myhre (Minot State) combined for five and a third innings to finish off the game. Myhre didn’t allow a hit in three innings and struck out four.

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

The Rox will finish the crucial two-game set with the MoonDogs on Thursday night from Joe Faber Field. The winner of the match-up will take the lead and control of the Great Plains West as the first half winds down. First pitch from St. Cloud will be at 7:05 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.