August 12, 2023
ST. CLOUD, MN – The St. Cloud Rox (43-25) dropped game two against the Minnesota Mud Puppies (12-32) with a 13-7 final score, Saturday, August 12th. St. Cloud has earned a playoff spot in the Great Plains West division and will take on Willmar in the first round.
The starting pitcher for St. Cloud was Tyler Hemmesch. Hemmesch pitched 2.0 innings, striking out five batters while giving up two earned runs in his 8th appearance of the season. Over 20.2 innings pitched this season, Hemmesch has struck out 29 batters.
Noah Greise had a solo home run, a single, two RBI, and two runs scored. Greise is batting .370 with three home runs and 11 RBI in just seven games played in the 2nd Half. Jackson Hauge batted in two runs with a single. Hauge ends the season with 74 hits and 51 RBI over a team-high 61 games played. Ben Vujovich reached base three times, scoring twice for St. Cloud.
Kahler Key made his 2nd appearance for St. Cloud and impressed out of the bullpen, working through 5.2 innings pitched. Key struck out four batters in his 1st home appearance. Brandon Jaenke pitched the final 1.1 innings, striking out three batters. Jaenke ends the regular season with 34 strikeouts over 22.0 innings pitched in 15 appearances.
The 2023 Rox MVP is Jackson Hauge. Hauge finishes the regular season with a .306 batting average and an .841 OPS. He led the Rox in hits, (74), extra-base hits (20), RBI (51), and was the individual champion in the Great Plains Home Run Derby. Piercen McElyea and Tommy Gross were the 2023 Rox Co-Pitchers of the Year. McElyea went 6-1 as a 2023 Great Plains West All-Star and a 2023 Postseason All-Star. McElyea led the Rox in innings pitched (54.0), and strikeouts (56), with a 2.83 ERA. Gross also went 6-1 as a 2023 Great Plains West All-Star and a 2023 Postseason All-Star. He had an incredible year for St. Cloud as a starter and reliever, with a 1.14 ERA over 39.1 innings pitched, with 44 strikeouts and a 1.07 WHIP.
Today’s All-Star Trophy and Awards Star of the game is Noah Greise!
The Rox kickoff the playoffs on Sunday, August 13th, with a 4:05 pm first pitch against the Willmar Stingers. The 2023 Rox playoffs are presented by Minnwest Bank. For a complete game & promotional schedule, ticket information and everything Rox please visit www.stcloudrox.com
