(KNSI) – The St. Cloud Rox showed grit and determination, bouncing back from a late-inning collapse in the opener to win two straight on the road and take their best-of-three first round Northwoods League playoff series against the Willmar Stingers.
On Tuesday night, it was all about the pitching. The Rox blanked the home team, 6-0. Right-hander Michael Day of Missouri State University needed only 103 tosses to go eight innings. Day was able to induce double plays in the first and second frames before settling in and blunting the Stinger bats.
The Rox got two in the first and another in the third before finding breathing room thanks to a two-run blast from Southern Mississippi’s Ben Higdon in the seventh. He ties Jackson Hauge with 12 home runs on the season, a record for the franchise.
The Rox face the winner of the Great Plains – East series, the La Crosse Loggers. The teams will vie for a spot in the Northwoods League championship in a one-game showdown on Wednesday at Joe Faber Field.
If the Rox win, they would host the Summer Collegiate World Series if Kalamazoo bests Madison. The Rox would travel to the heart of Wisconsin if both them and the Mallards advance.
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