June 7, 2024
ST. CLOUD, MN — The St. Cloud Rox (4-7) claimed their first home victory of the season against the Minot Hot Tots (2-7), winning by a 13-3 score on Friday, June 7. The Rox scored all 13 of their runs in the sixth inning or later, and Sawyer Smith (St. Cloud State University) tied a team record with five stolen bases on the night.
Brigden Parker (University of Kansas) set the tone for St. Cloud with solid starting pitching. The left-hander allowed just one run and struck out seven Hot Tots across five innings, lowering his season earned run average to 3.38. Brandon Jaenke (Viterbo University) followed him and punched out three across two innings to earn the win. The final two Rox hitters, Kasey Crawford (University of Kansas) and Tommy Gross (University of Minnesota), combined to finish the game with two shutout frames.
At the plate, St. Cloud started quietly before banging down the door late. The Rox evened the score at 1-1 in the sixth after Minot had pulled ahead an inning prior, as Jackson Hauge (University of Kansas) brought in Smith via a sacrifice fly. Minot would go up 3-1 in the seventh, only for the Rox to plate four and snatch their first lead of the night. Of the 10 Rox stolen bases in the game, four came in the seventh alone, setting up RBI singles from Smith and Tyler Bishop (University of Nebraska Omaha). Smith led the Rox with three hits as well as three runs scored in the game.
An inning later, the Rox would put the game to bed with eight more runs. In his Northwoods League debut, Kaden Amundson (Nicholls State University) singled twice in the inning to drive in a total of three runs. Moments after Smith delivered his second run-scoring single in as many innings, Francesco Barbieri (Ave Maria University) stepped into the batter’s box for his first at-bat of the night and provided an electric moment. The speedy outfielder pushed the Rox to 10 runs with a two-run triple, his first three-bagger of the season.
Today’s All-Star Trophy and Awards Star of the Game is Sawyer Smith!
The series finale against Minot, scheduled for 6:05 p.m. on Saturday, June 8, will include a piggy bank giveaway to the first 275 fans and a postgame quarter drop on the field. Sentry Bank will be the game sponsor. After the Minot series, the Rox will finish out their homestand with a three-game series against the Willmar Stingers that begins on Sunday, June 9. For a complete game & promotional schedule, ticket information, and everything Rox, please visit www.stcloudrox.com!
The 2024 season is presented by Morrie’s Auto Group.
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