St. Cloud, MN – It was a pitcher’s duel on Wednesday as St. Cloud (42-17) lost a 2-1 thriller to Mankato (34-24), almost battling back to take the game late.

John Nett (St. Cloud State) showed off his wheels on the base paths, stealing a Rox-record five bases during the game. Nett reached base three times, including two of St. Cloud’s four hits on the night.

In his fourth start of the season, Carson Keithley (Texas State) had another strong outing on the mound. Keithley went five innings and allowed just two runs on three hits, also striking out eight MoonDogs batters.

The bullpen kept the game close late and allowed St. Cloud a chance to battle back into the game. Conner Wolf (Central Missouri) worked out of a jam in the sixth and then tossed a scoreless seventh to continue his strong summer with the Rox.

In the eighth, Enrique Ozoa (Southern) tossed a scoreless inning and even made an athletic play off the mound to help hang a zero. Jonathan Martinez (Texas State) finished the game off with a solid ninth inning, giving up just one walk.

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

The Rox have Thursday off ahead of three straight games at home over the weekend. On Friday, St. Cloud hosts the Minnesota Mud Puppies with postgame fireworks at Joe Faber Field. First pitch at the Rock Pile is scheduled for 7:05 pm.

For the full 2022 Rox schedule, click here. The 2022 season is presented by Fleet Farm. For more information regarding this release, season tickets and partial season ticket packages for the 2022 season including Kwik Trip 7-Game Packs, please contact the Rox office at 320-240-9798 or visit www.stcloudrox.com.

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. Now in its’ 29^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, 300 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 (NYM), 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 2019/2021 Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and 2021 All-Star, MLB Gold Glove winner and 2019 Second Team All-MLB shortstop Marcus Semien (TEX). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. League games are viewable live at watchnwl.com and on ESPN+. 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.