Rox Finish Regular Season with 50 Wins, Look Towards Playoff Series with Mankato
August 14, 2021 - Northwoods League (Northwoods)
St. Cloud Rox News Release
Pensacola Blue Wahoos pitcher Joe Battaglia
(St. Cloud Rox)
St. Cloud, MN - In the regular-season finale on Saturday night, St. Cloud (50-18) fell to the Minnesota Mud Puppies (10-26) and posted the second-best record in Northwoods League history.
Now, the Rox look forward to their first round of the playoffs, playing a three-game series with the Mankato MoonDogs which begins on Sunday. St. Cloud will play on the road Sunday before playing all of its remaining playoff games from the friendly confines of Joe Faber Field.
Joe Battaglia (Southern University) earned his first start of the season on Saturday and made the most of it. Battaglia threw seven innings and kept the Rox in the game late, only allowing two hits and striking out six batters.
It took until the seventh inning for the bats to finally get rolling, but Justin Kirby (Kent State) got the Rox on the board with a solo home run to left field. Kirby had no home runs heading into the final series of the season and ended the season with two.
After the deficit grew in the ninth, Jack Steil (Nebraska) started a Rox rally with his fifth home run of the season. Then, Peter Abinanti (San Diego) brought in a run with his third hit of the day. Abinanti has hits in all 17 games he's started this season and has an on-base percentage over .500.
For a full box score from Saturday's game, click here.
First pitch in the Rox' playoff opener at ISG Field is scheduled for 5:05 pm. Then, the series with the MoonDogs will shift back to St. Cloud with first pitch on Monday scheduled for 7:05 pm.
Images from this story
 Pensacola Blue Wahoos pitcher Joe Battaglia |
Northwoods League Stories from August 14, 2021
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- Booyah Fall in Season Finale - Green Bay Rockers
- MoonDogs Fall Hosting Honkers in Regular Season Finale - Mankato MoonDogs
- Rafters Complete 2021 Season - Wisconsin Rapids Rafters
- Pit Spitters Swept, Prepare for Postseason - Traverse City Pit Spitters
- Bombers Walk off the Final Game of 2021 - Battle Creek Battle Jacks
- Mallards Win Second Half, Clinch Playoff Spot - Madison Mallards
- Rox Finish Regular Season with 50 Wins, Look Towards Playoff Series with Mankato - St. Cloud Rox
- Huskies End Regular Season on High Note - Duluth Huskies
- Booyah to End Season on Saturday - Green Bay Rockers
- Mallards Set to Fight for Playoff Spot in Regular Season Finale - Madison Mallards
- Bucks Win 2nd Half Title; Will Host All First Round Games - Waterloo Bucks
- Huskies Will Play the Great Plains East Series in Waterloo - Duluth Huskies
- Pit Spitters Start Playoffs at Home Sunday, August 15 - Traverse City Pit Spitters
- Kingfish Fall to Rockford in Game 71 - Kenosha Kingfish
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