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Rox hold off Beetles

July 6, 2012 - Northwoods League (Northwoods)
Alexandria Beetles News Release


Alexandria, MN - In a back-and-forth thriller to begin the second half of the season, the St. Cloud Rox (10-25, 1-0) scored a pair of runs in the top of the tenth inning and held off the Alexandria Beetles (13-23, 0-1) in an 8-7 final.

The St. Cloud tenth-inning runs scored after a leadoff hit by pitch to Carlos Lopez spelling the end of the night for reliever Alex Guilford. After a sacrifice moved him to second, Elvin Soto tucked a triple inside of the first-base bag off Anthony Bazzani to score the go-ahead run and came in to score himself on a suicide squeeze with Nick Rau at the plate.

The Beetles battled back in the bottom of the inning, scoring one run and loading the bases with two outs, but Adam Maxon struck out Ryan Padilla with the bases loaded to close the door on Alexandria's third rally of the game.

The late-game dramatics were only the final chapter in an engaging affair between two teams eager to forget their first-half struggles. St. Cloud scored first in the top of the third with a pair off Alexandria starter Ali Simpson with three hits including a two-out single by Phil Imholte.

Rox starter Tadd Johansen, in complete control through four facing just two above the minimum, was finally touched up in the fifth. Dylan Raper, who has reached in every home game for the Beetles this year, though his 14-game hitting streak was snapped Thursday, walked and scored on a Padilla double. Josh Carpenter and Matt Lowenstein singled on the infield to load the bases, and Tanner Vavra's grounder to the right side plated the go-ahead run.

Simpson departed with a 3-2 lead after 5.2 but the Rox scored five runs, four unearned in the top of the seventh. A single and a one-out error put runners on first and second, and Imholte tied the game with an infield single of his own. After a fielder's choice with everyone safe re-loaded the bases, Mark Rhine hit a fly-ball to shallow right field. The relay to the infield hopped away to the backstop allowing two runs to score, and the next batter Lopez hit a two-run shot to give the visitors a 7-3 advantage.

But the Beetles responded in tremendous fashion with a four-spot of their own in the bottom of the inning to tie the game at seven. With one out, Padilla hit his second homer in as many nights and Carpenter and Lowenstein delivered singles to chase Johansen. Reliever Will Flor, who earned the victory, struck out the first man he faced Vavra, but Beetles RBI-leader Ben Moore drove a two-RBI double to right to pull within one, and on consecutive sets, Flor balked and threw a wild pitch to bring Moore around to score the tying run.

That set up the thrilling 10th inning as the Rox improved to 4-2 against the Beetles this season.

The two teams complete their two game home-and-home series at Joe Faber Field at 7:05 CDT Friday.

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