Mankato, MN – Through two rain delays, St. Cloud (32-9) battled to come through in the tenth inning with an 8-7 victory over Mankato (29-13) to open Wednesday’s doubleheader.

St. Cloud continues to stretch its lead for the best record in the Northwoods League with the victory over the MoonDogs. The Rox now have a three-and-a-half game advantage on the rest of the league after winning their sixth consecutive game. For the full Northwoods League standings, click here.

Cody Kelly (Minnesota) had the go-ahead base hit to give the Rox the lead in the tenth inning, dropping in a single to left field. Kelly had two hits on the day, earning him three multi-hit games in his last four outings.

In the bottom of the tenth, Connor Barison (Washington State) came on and had to work out of a jam with a runner on third and just one out. Barison retired the top two batters in the Mankato lineup to earn his fifth save of the season.

Jordan Barth (Augustana) continues to be one of the best bats in the Rox lineup, having three hits again today. Barth also made a spectacular barehand catch and throw in the ninth to send the game to extra innings.

Late in the game, Andrew Morones (San Joaquin Delta) helped the Rox keep the game tied. In the eighth, Morones caught a pop-up on a bunt to foil a squeeze attempt that would’ve given Mankato the lead.

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

Game two of the doubleheader from Mankato is set to begin around 7:30 pm at ISG Field as the Rox look for their seventh straight win. After that, the Rox head back home for a two-game series with Bismarck starting on Thursday.

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.