By: Riley Klaus

July 1, 2025

ST. CLOUD, MN – The St. Cloud Rox (26-8) began the second half of the season with a 10-0 victory over the Minot Hot Tots (10-27) on Tuesday, and continue to roll after becoming first-half champions of the Great Plains West.

The Rox offense instantly picked up where it left off in the first half of the season, by scoring two runs in the bottom of the first to take the early lead. Three straight hits, including an RBI double from Joshua Dykhoff (University of Minnesota-Crookston) and an RBI single from Dominic Smaldino (Arizona State University), gave the 2-0 advantage to St. Cloud.

The Rox found the scoreboard again in the third, adding a crooked number. St. Cloud had another three hits, with a pair of RBI singles from Tyson LeBlanc (Louisiana State – Eunice) and Sawyer Smith (University of Kansas) to extend the lead to five.

Jaixen Frost (University of Iowa) put together a two-run single in the fifth inning to continue the offense and give the Rox the 8-0 lead.

The Rox reached double digits in the sixth, as Smith brought home two more on a double to make it 10-0.

While the bats kept hot, Hunter Day (Minnesota State University) held Minot scoreless in eight innings of work on the mound, and recorded a Rox career-high nine strikeouts.

The Rox would finish the game victorious 10-0, and started the second half off with a win after claiming the first-half Great Plains West title.

The All-Star Trophy and Awards Star of the Game is Hunter Day.

The Rox play game two of the series at Joe Faber Field on Wednesday, July 1st, at 7:05 p.m. It will be Military Appreciation Night presented by St. Cloud Financial Credit Union & Advantage 1 Insurance Agency. There is currently a Game Jersey Auction to Benefit Local Veterans, which you can learn more about at stcloudrox.com/MilitaryAppreciation. Additionally, there will be postgame fireworks. 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.