June 10, 2025
MANKATO, MN – The St. Cloud Rox (11-3) put forth an impressive effort from start to finish on Tuesday to defeat the Mankato MoonDogs (7-9) 14-2 and maintain first place in the Great Plains West.
The second inning would open a wealth of scoring for St. Cloud, as the Rox put up four runs in the frame. Austin Haley (Kansas State) hit a double to bring home the first run, and moments later, Dominic Smaldino (University of California) sent a two-RBI single into play to extend the lead to 3-0. The Rox would score one more run after a hit by pitch, ending the second inning up 4-0.
After Cayden Gaskin (University of South Carolina) hit the walk-off on Monday, he answered it on Tuesday with a double in the third inning and later scored the fifth run of the contest to extend the lead to 5-0.
On the mound, Riane Ritter (University of St. Thomas) would start the game and throw five innings of one-run ball. The bullpen would deliver for the remainder of the game, allowing just one more run from Mankato the rest of the way.
The Rox one-upped themselves in the sixth inning, scoring seven runs in the frame. There were many highlights, including a two-RBI single from Haley, followed by an RBI single from Smaldino to further the lead to 12-1.
The Rox added two more runs in the top of the ninth, including a solo home run from Jackson Cooke (University of Pittsburgh) to end the game in front 14-2.
The Rox remain in first place in the Great Plains West after Tuesday’s victory ahead of an off day on Wednesday.
Today’s All-Star Trophy and Awards Star of the Game is Austin Haley.
The Rox will travel to Canada on Thursday, June 12, to take on the Thunder Bay Border Cats for the first game of a two-game series before returning to Joe Faber Field on Saturday, June 14, to face the Minot Hot Tots at 7:05 PM. There will be post-game fireworks and a trucker hat giveaway to the first 500 fans, presented by Eide Chrysler. For a complete game & promotional schedule, ticket information, and everything Rox, please visit stcloudrox.com. For a full list of the 2025 promotional schedule, please visit stcloudrox.com/promoschedule, and for the full Rox game schedule, visit stcloudrox.com/schedule.
The 2025 season is presented by Morrie’s Auto Group.
