The Rocori Spartans will head out to challenge the St. Francis Fighting Saints at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Rocori is coming into the game hot, having won their last ten games.
While Rocori's victory against Monticello wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Spartans had just enough and edged out the Magic 5-3.
Zander Folkerts
| 05/09/25 vs Monticello | 2 |
| 05/08/25 vs Willmar | 2 |
| 05/06/25 vs Sauk Rapids-Rice | 1 |
The team relied heavily on Zander Folkerts, who went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases and one run. He is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged at least one in each of the last three games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Jace Griffin, who went 2-for-3 with one double.
Rocori hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least five batters in four consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, St. Francis didn't have quite enough to beat North Branch on Friday and fell 3-2. The Fighting Saints have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
St. Francis also got a good showing from Nathaniel Esboldt, who pitched 3.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit.
On the hitting side, St. Francis saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Cooper Fiskewold, who went 2-for-3 with one run and one double. Tayler Hardie was another, going 2-for-3 with one stolen base and one RBI.
Rocori pushed their record up to 11-2 with the win, which was their eighth straight at home. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.4 runs on average over those games. As for St. Francis, their defeat dropped their record down to 9-6.
St. Francis' pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Rocori hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .324. It's a different story for St. Francis, though, as they've only averaged .246. Will they be able to contain Rocori's hitters?
Rocori took their win against St. Francis in their previous meeting back in May of 2024 by a conclusive 11-1 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Spartans since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
