WHEN: July 27th 4:05 PM

WHERE: Joe Faber Field

WATCH: NWL+

LISTEN: Granite City Sports Radio

ROX 2025 RECORD: 39-17 (14-9 Second Half)

WATERLOO 2025 RECORD: 34-25 (13-12 Second Half)

LAST TIME OUT

The St. Cloud Rox (39-17) took down the Waterloo Bucks (34-25) in heroic fashion on Saturday with a fantastic finish.

Jackson Hauge (University of Kansas) scorched the baseball in the bottom of the third for a three-run homer, his first of the 2025 season, to pull the game back within one run at 4-3.

Later, a sacrifice fly from Nolan Geislinger (Iowa Western CC) tied up the ballgame at four apiece in the bottom of the fourth.

St. Cloud took the lead in the sixth inning, as Jackson Cooke (University of Pittsburgh) stepped on home to give the Rox a 5-4 lead.

Starting Pitcher Jake Burcham (Tarleton State University) gave the Rox seven innings on the mound, tallying four strikeouts.

The game would eventually go into extra innings, and in the bottom of the tenth, Hauge stepped up to the plate. With the game on the line, Hauge went deep again and walked it off with a two-run home run to seal a Rox 7-6 victory.  It was the first Rox Home Run since Noah Greise did it against Thunder Bay on July 27 of last season (one year ago today).

CLOSING IN ON ROX HISTORY

Tanner Recchio (University of St. Thomas) comes in to the series vs the Bucks two stolen bases away from breaking the single season Rox stolen bases record. Recchio sits at 29 stolen bases on the year, just two shy of both Sawyer Smith (2024) and Drew Avans (2017) who sit at 30 swipes in their respective seasons.

Brandon Jaenke is two saves away from breaking the Rox single season saves record that is held by his former teammate in 2022 Chase Grillo. Jaenke sits at 12 while Grillo picked up 13 saves in the 2022 campaign.

PROBABLE STARTERS (SUBJECT TO CHANGE)

STC- JP Robertson will start for the Rox in the series finale vs the Bucks. The 2025 All-Star holds an ERA of 2.97 with 47 strikeouts, 22 walks, and 36 hits allowed across 39.1 innings pitched. He appeared in relief vs Willmar on July 20 and went 3.1 with three strikeouts and two walks and four hits allowed for two runs. He pitched five one-run innings against Waterloo earlier this season with eight strikeouts.

WAT- Waterloo will turn to LHP Nakni Anna in game two. Anna’s ERA sits at 7.02 across 16.2 innings with 16 strikeouts and walks, with 20 hits allowed. His last appearance spanned 4.2 innings of one-run ball with three strikeouts and walks against the Duluth Huskies on July 21.