Willmar, MN – St. Cloud (45-15) avoided a sweep for the second time in three nights and locked up the season series against rival Willmar (29-33) with an 8-1 win on Friday.

The Rox’ big inning came in the sixth after the game was tied at one for the first half of the game. Bobby Goodloe (TCU) had two hits on Friday and his second gave the Rox a 2-1 lead to start off the scoring in the frame.

The important swing of the inning came from Andrew Pinckney (Alabama). Pinckney doubled down the right-field line and put two more runs on the board to make the lead 4-1 St. Cloud in the sixth.

Caleb Ricketts (San Diego) put together a great game at the plate as well, going three-for-five on the day. Ricketts finished off the Rox’ scoring in the eighth inning with an RBI single to make it 8-1 Rox.

It was another gem for Hunter Dollander (Georgia-Gwinnett) who is now 5-0 this season. After giving up a run in the first inning, Dollander settled in to post five zeroes after that. In the end, Dollander tossed six innings, allowing just one run while striking out five batters.

Out of the bullpen, Josh Gainer (Long Island-Brooklyn) continued his dominance on the mound this season. Gainer retired all six batters that he faced and struck out three. This season, Gainer has allowed no earned runs in over twenty innings pitched.

For a full box score from Friday’s game, click here.

With St. Cloud’s win and a loss for Mankato on Friday, the Rox’ lead for the best record in the Northwoods League is now six-and-a-half games. The Rox’ magic number for home-field advantage throughout the playoffs is now just three. For the full Northwoods League standings, click here.

The Rox finish off their seven-game road trip with a two-game series against Duluth over the weekend. First pitch on Saturday is scheduled for 3:05 pm from Wade Stadium. St. Cloud returns home on Monday to face the Rochester Honkers in a two-game series.

The St. Cloud Rox are a member of the finest developmental league for elite college baseball players, the Northwoods League. The Northwoods League is the proven leader in the development of elite college baseball players. Having completed its’ 27^th season, the Northwoods League is the largest organized baseball league in the world with 22 teams, drawing significantly more fans, in a friendly ballpark experience, than any league of its kind. A valuable training ground for coaches, umpires and front office staff, over 250 Northwoods League players have advanced to Major League Baseball, including three-time All-Star and 2016 Roberto Clemente Award winner Curtis Granderson, three-time Cy Young Award winner and World Series Champion Max Scherzer (WAS), two-time World Series Champions Ben Zobrist and Brandon Crawford (SFG) and World Series Champion Chris Sale (BOS). As well as 2019 Rookie of the Year and Home Run Derby Champion Pete Alonso (NYM) and MLB Gold Glove finalist and 2019 Second Team All-MLB shortstop Marcus Semien (TOR). All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League website. All league games are viewable live via the Northwoods League portal. For more information, visit www.stcloudrox.com or download the new Northwoods League Mobile App on the Apple App Store or on Google Play and set the Rox as your favorite team.