La Crosse, WI – A late comeback attempt in the ninth fell short for St. Cloud (26-9) as the Rox lost for the first time in six games, 7-4, against La Crosse (16-23).

In the ninth inning, Nate Swarts (Washington State) and Bobby Goodloe (TCU) each had base hits which cut the deficit down to three. With the tying run at the plate, Caleb Ricketts (San Diego) flew out to left field to end the game.

Nick Yovetich (San Francisco) continued his recent hot streak with two more hits tonight. Yovetich helped start a rally in the fifth inning for the Rox that plated two runs and narrowed the game early.

With starter Riley Cornelio (TCU) forced out of the game after the first inning, the Rox got great outings from relievers Joseph Battaglia (Southern University) and Zach Gagnon (Tarleton State). In Battaglia’s debut with the Rox, he went four innings in long relief to take the pressure off of the bullpen.

Gagnon went three scoreless innings to finish out the night. He retired the side in order in the eighth inning to give the bats a chance in the final frame.

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

St. Cloud continues its road trip with the series finale against La Crosse on Thursday night. First pitch from Copeland Park is scheduled for 6:35 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.