July 4, 2024
THUNDER BAY, ON — The St. Cloud Rox (19-16) topped the Thunder Bay Border Cats (19-17) by a 7-1 score on Thursday, July 4th. With the win, the Rox finished with a split of their four-game road trip, outscoring opponents by a 19-12 margin.
On the mound, left-handed starting pitcher Kaden Pfeffer (St. Cloud State University) supplied the Rox with his fourth quality start of the summer. He efficiently spread 83 pitches across seven strong innings, allowing just one earned run with a single walk. Pfeffer’s team-leading fourth quality start clinched his third win of the season and lowered his earned run average to 2.34. Brandon Jaenke (Viterbo University) and debut reliever Brady Joyner (Willamette University) finished the night with a combined five strikeouts in two shutout frames.
At the plate, St. Cloud broke a scoreless tie with two runs in the fifth inning. A pair of two-out walks and a hit by pitch set up Sawyer Smith (University of Kansas) with the bases loaded, and Smith came through. His two-run single put the Rox ahead by a pair and pushed his team-leading RBI total to 27. Smith enjoyed a two-hit night along with Will Henson (Ohio State University), Trey King (University of Georgia), and Jaixen Frost (University of Iowa).
Three more Rox runs scored in the sixth inning as Henson and King singled ahead of an Andrew Savage (Pepperdine University) sacrifice fly. Moments later, a wild pitch brought King down from third for a 5-1 St. Cloud lead. The final pair of Rox runs came home in the eighth, as Frost followed a run-producing double play with an RBI single on the infield. Frost also finished with two stolen bases to go with his pair of hits.
Today’s All-Star Trophy and Awards Star of the Game is Kaden Pfeffer!
The Rox will return home on Friday, July 5th to start a two-game series against the Mankato MoonDogs. Friday’s game, scheduled for 7:05 p.m. and presented by Capital One, will wrap up with the fourth Friday Night Fireworks display of the season. Saturday’s 6:05 p.m. series finale, presented by Magnifi Financial, will feature a tote bag giveaway to the first 300 fans. 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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