Twins Shutout Cleveland, Rox Win Home Opener

The St. Cloud Rox put on a good show, beating the La Crosse Loggers in their 2023 home opener, and the Minnesota Twins notched their third straight win in a matchup against Cleveland on Friday. On Saturday, the Minnesota Lynx will face the Mystics on the road while still chasing their first win of the season.

RECAPS:

- The Rox beat the Loggers 13-8 in their home opener at Joe Faber Field on Friday night. St. Cloud pushed out to a huge lead but gave up some runs late in the game. The Rox ran in four in the first inning and extended their lead to 11-0 with seven runs, including a grand slam, by the end of the second. By the end of the fifth inning, St. Cloud led 13-0. La Crosse ran in three in the top of the sixth, and three more in the seventh to close the gap to 13-6. The Loggers scored two more runs in the eighth, but the Rox kept them from scoring in the top of the ninth to secure the win. Nathan Rose led St. Cloud with five RBIs in three hits in his four trips to the plate. The Rox improve to 4-1 and will play game two against La Crosse on Saturday. Pre-game coverage begins at 5:35 p.m. on AM 1390 and 93.9 FM Granite City Sports.

- The Twins blanked Cleveland 1-0 at home in game two of the series to take the lead 2-0. It was a defensive battle, with neither team scoring through the first six innings. In the bottom of the seventh, Jorge Polanco hit a go-ahead double to send Kyle Farmer home. Bailey Ober started things off on the mound for Minnesota, striking out three batters and allowing four hits, but no runs through six innings. Jhoan Duran was the fourth man to pitch for the Twins, but he secured the save with three strikeouts and one hit allowed. The Twins improve to 31-27 and will host the Guardians in game three on Saturday night. Pre-game coverage starts at 5:30 p.m. on AM 1240 and 95.3 FM WJON.

PREVIEWS:

- The Lynx (0-6) are still looking for their first win of the season, and they will have another chance when they visit the Washington Mystics (3-2) on Saturday night. The two teams last met in a preseason game in early May. Minnesota won the nailbiter matchup 72-69. Washington is playing back-to-back days, but the Lynx will be without Diamond Miller, who sprained her ankle on Tuesday. Minnesota is one of two winless teams left in the league. The other is the Seattle Storm who sit at 0-3. Tip-off is set for 6:00 p.m. in D.C.